“Nintendo has been chasing this sort of strategy for a long time,”
May 3, 2018 7:20 PM Subscribe
2018 Will Be the Year of the Switch Port [US|Gamer] “In 2018, this stream of ports will become a deluge. Demand is huge for Switch ports, and Nintendo is sitting on a host of Wii U games that can easily make the transition to portable. Seemingly every major series that isn't a graphical powerhouse is being rumored for the Switch. The appeal for both fans and publishers is obvious. Fans get a portable version that they can break out whenever they want. Publishers get another burst of sales at fairly minimal cost. A gratuitous double dip on another console would be a welcome sight on the Nintendo Switch. Who wouldn't want a portable version of, say, the Mass Effect trilogy? Or the Arkham games? Or maybe Wind Waker HD? Publishers are recognizing the inherent appeal of Switch ports; and with the install base firmly established, are scrambling to pump out as many ports as possible.”
• The Nintendo Switch turned its lack of power into a strength [Polygon]
• The Nintendo Switch turned its lack of power into a strength [Polygon]
“The relatively underpowered hardware and the portable nature of the Switch’s design are a double whammy for big publishers. The fact that you can bring the system anywhere means that players have a strong incentive to purchase games on the Switch rather than on other platforms. Buying a game on another console doesn’t mean you gain better visuals; it means that you lost portability. That’s what separates the Switch from the disappointing Wii U, and why it might have better longevity than the Wii. Nintendo has been chasing this sort of strategy for a long time, but the Switch may represent the first time all the pieces have fallen into place. [...] Nintendo has found an effective way re-energize publishers’ back catalogs and entice indie devs who want to compete on a different playing field than PC and the other consoles, while also making sure the game catalog of the Switch itself is both high-quality and idiosyncratic.”• The History of ‘Donkey Kong’ Ports is the History of the Gaming Industry [Variety]
“Games are often moved from one platform to another because there’s money to be made when a title, already designed and completed, can be released to an audience who hasn’t had a chance to play it. But more interesting are those ports that result in fundamental changes to the game itself, providing new life to what had become just another old thing on the growing heap of history. With “Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze” getting a second chance on Nintendo Switch after releasing to critical acclaim but muted sales on the beleaguered Wii U, it’s high time to reconsider the agile ape and his legacy of games that are constantly reconfigured for a new audience, platform, or playstyle. In many ways, DK and his evolutions have been a bellwether for the larger gaming landscape. “Donkey Kong” is the ur-game for our modern industry.”• Nintendo is slowly erasing the Wii U from existence [The Verge]
“The audience is simply bigger on the Switch, and that audience is growing. Three years after the game debuted on the Wii U, Splatoon sold less than 5 million copies; in less than a year, its sequel surpassed 6 million. The Switch version of Bayonetta 2, a Nintendo-published action game from studio Platinum, similarly managed to outsell its Wii U predecessor in just a month. The migration doesn’t look like it will slow anytime soon. Nintendo has already announced new versions of Wii U gems Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and Hyrule Warriors, and at E3 this year the company will be dedicating most of its attention to a brand-new Super Smash Bros., which will undoubtedly render the Wii U edition obsolete. There are still a few stragglers; somehow Nintendo hasn’t announced a Mario Party for the Switch yet, and I imagine it won’t be too long before the build-your-own-Mario series Super Mario Maker finds its way to the tablet along with the excellent Super Mario 3D World. I’m also holding out hope for a portable version of the largely forgotten Wii U role-playing game Tokyo Mirage Sessions. When it comes to Wii U owners, the cut-off point will be different for everyone.”• LA Noire's Switch port tested: could the system handle GTA5? [Eurogamer]
“The LA Noire remaster is available on PS4, Xbox One and their 4K mid-gen refresh equivalents, but the real story here is the Switch port and the fact that it's the first time we've seen an open word game of this type running on Nintendo's hybrid system. It's also Rockstar's debut title for the console, and we can only wonder what else the publisher has cooking for the system. Could the Grand Theft Auto games be in development for Switch? Is it even possible to successfully port those titles? The LA Noire conversion doesn't have all the answers, but it convincingly reveals some of the challenges any prospective GTA conversion might face. As things stand, the original LA Noire was built on a custom engine designed with PlayStation 3's Cell processor in mind, and this version was the preferred console edition back in the day. It was quite a sight: PS3 managed to run a massive open-world built around an impressive facsimile of Los Angeles, with fully functioning day-night cycles, weather, physics, wandering NPCs and traffic systems. All this meant a heavy reliance on the machine's unique synergistic processing units - SPUs - and the end result is that the Switch version, reliant on just three available ARM CPU cores operating at 1GHz, can suffer from some obvious drawbacks.”• The Nintendo Switch Is Already A Great Way To Play Old Games [Kotaku]
“The comment sections of Kotaku's Switch articles are routinely filled with people dreaming about Switch ports of their favourite games. When a new game is announced, particularly an indie game, you can bet that a Switch version will be one of the first things fans request. We can also dream of how Nintendo's own classics might fare on the new system. However Nintendo decides to approach the Virtual Console in addition to their two-monthly-game subscription approach, any GameCube, Wii or N64 Switch ports will surely benefit from the Switch's portability just like the games I've talked about here. Many Nintendo systems are designed around an experimental or interesting central idea. Historically, that idea has rarely been what's compelled me to use the device, particularly for games I had already played on other systems. Motion controls, glasses-free 3D and controller screens didn't compel me to play the Wii, 3DS or Wii U versions of games I'd already played on other devices. Switch ports that I can play on my TV and on the go are different. How promising that the Switch's big central idea is also the thing that makes me want to play games on it.”
Been clamoring for a Super Mario Sunshine port for ages. I won't hold my breath.
posted by Brocktoon at 8:08 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Brocktoon at 8:08 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
A Katamari Damacy port (but also Okami and Shadow of the Colossus) and my life on the Switch will be complete.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:17 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:17 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
A Katamari Damacy port (but also Okami and Shadow of the Colossus) and my life on the Switch will be complete.
Okami HD has been confirmed. :D
posted by Fizz at 8:23 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
Okami HD has been confirmed. :D
posted by Fizz at 8:23 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
the ability for Nintendo to create something at once completely unexpected and yet natural in hindsight; and the ability for Nintendo to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
I think there's more to it than that. Nintendo seems to be able to look at the negative space around what their competitors are doing, and say, that's where the fun is. Let's do that. And that's let them make things that don't need a painted-polygon vector furnace under the hood, because for the most part games _do not need that_ to be fun. If want to sit on a couch and play online PvP, great, Microsoft and Sony have you covered. That frees up Nintendo to do _everything else_. Same couch multiplayer, retro classics, cardboard robots, you name it.
Last week, the top selling console game was a Labo kit, with roughly double the new God Of War's #2 slot sales. The #3 position was... a different Labo kit.
posted by mhoye at 8:25 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
I think there's more to it than that. Nintendo seems to be able to look at the negative space around what their competitors are doing, and say, that's where the fun is. Let's do that. And that's let them make things that don't need a painted-polygon vector furnace under the hood, because for the most part games _do not need that_ to be fun. If want to sit on a couch and play online PvP, great, Microsoft and Sony have you covered. That frees up Nintendo to do _everything else_. Same couch multiplayer, retro classics, cardboard robots, you name it.
Last week, the top selling console game was a Labo kit, with roughly double the new God Of War's #2 slot sales. The #3 position was... a different Labo kit.
posted by mhoye at 8:25 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
Nintendo seems to be able to look at the negative space around what their competitors are doing, and say, that's where the fun is.
It's always so double-edged with Nintendo. Great at some things and absolutely fucking terrible with others. Still no back up saves of your data and a pretty bare bones kind of shit eShop.
posted by Fizz at 8:28 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
It's always so double-edged with Nintendo. Great at some things and absolutely fucking terrible with others. Still no back up saves of your data and a pretty bare bones kind of shit eShop.
posted by Fizz at 8:28 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
Who wouldn't want a portable version of, say, the Mass Effect trilogy?
Already got that with Infiltrator, and honestly, it wasn't much of a much, although it might have been better with some decent controls instead of pawing at a touchscreen.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:39 PM on May 3, 2018
Already got that with Infiltrator, and honestly, it wasn't much of a much, although it might have been better with some decent controls instead of pawing at a touchscreen.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:39 PM on May 3, 2018
Calling Mass Effect Infiltrator a portable version of the Mass Effect trilogy is like calling Super Mario Run a portable version of Super Mario World.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 9:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 9:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Nintendo seems to be able to look at the negative space around what their competitors are doing, and say, that's where the fun is.
It's not so much the negative space, as Nintendo simply not caring what their competitors are doing right now while looking at the same tech. It is both their blessing and their curse, because sometimes it means super-cute cardboard pianos and sometimes it means not having any kind of internet infrastructure even if they could do something unique with it.
My favourite example of this was the Miis on the Wii. Surprisingly compelling built-in avatars! You could do all sorts of things with the tools - and you could use them only in Nintendo games. Nintendo did not provide the ability for anyone else to incorporate Miis into their game; one third party was given permission in the dying days of the Wii, but no code support.
posted by Merus at 11:12 PM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
It's not so much the negative space, as Nintendo simply not caring what their competitors are doing right now while looking at the same tech. It is both their blessing and their curse, because sometimes it means super-cute cardboard pianos and sometimes it means not having any kind of internet infrastructure even if they could do something unique with it.
My favourite example of this was the Miis on the Wii. Surprisingly compelling built-in avatars! You could do all sorts of things with the tools - and you could use them only in Nintendo games. Nintendo did not provide the ability for anyone else to incorporate Miis into their game; one third party was given permission in the dying days of the Wii, but no code support.
posted by Merus at 11:12 PM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
I could see Mass Effect 2 being ported, but if memory serves the original was such a bear to work with that I doubt it will ever come over.
I am hoping for Pikmin and Wind Waker. If they want to port over old PlayStation stuff like Front Mission 3, Katamari, Suikden, etc., I'd be up for that. Even just an update to Animal Crossing would be welcome.
Also Put Everything On Switch has covered all the bases.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 11:14 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
I am hoping for Pikmin and Wind Waker. If they want to port over old PlayStation stuff like Front Mission 3, Katamari, Suikden, etc., I'd be up for that. Even just an update to Animal Crossing would be welcome.
Also Put Everything On Switch has covered all the bases.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 11:14 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm holding off on reading this comment thread until it comes out on Switch
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:33 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:33 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
...I imagine it won’t be too long before the build-your-own-Mario series Super Mario Maker finds its way to the tablet...
That there's no Super Mario Maker for the Switch has, so far, saved me ($299.95 + $49.99) + tax. The day that Mario Maker drops is the day I own a Switch and Mario Maker for Switch so I'm torn on whether I want Nintendo to release it tomorrow or never.
posted by fireoyster at 12:08 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
That there's no Super Mario Maker for the Switch has, so far, saved me ($299.95 + $49.99) + tax. The day that Mario Maker drops is the day I own a Switch and Mario Maker for Switch so I'm torn on whether I want Nintendo to release it tomorrow or never.
posted by fireoyster at 12:08 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
The Wii was plagued by absolutely trash ports, so I'm not holding much hope for the flood of ports headed to the Switch.
posted by PenDevil at 1:52 AM on May 4, 2018
posted by PenDevil at 1:52 AM on May 4, 2018
[...]sometimes it means not having any kind of internet infrastructure even if they could do something unique with it.
Oh man, Nintendo and the internet (pre-Switch, at least).
"NOTE! This will connect you to the internet, are you sure?"
- Yes.
"Wait, really? The internet."
- Yes!
"OK, connecting... or maybe you want to cancel?"
- No, just connect already.
"All right, here we go then... now look at this progress spinner for 5 minutes while we load 2 kB of data."
Still no cloud saves. I'm not even after anything unique, just things that should be table stakes in 2018.
posted by jklaiho at 2:53 AM on May 4, 2018 [11 favorites]
Oh man, Nintendo and the internet (pre-Switch, at least).
"NOTE! This will connect you to the internet, are you sure?"
- Yes.
"Wait, really? The internet."
- Yes!
"OK, connecting... or maybe you want to cancel?"
- No, just connect already.
"All right, here we go then... now look at this progress spinner for 5 minutes while we load 2 kB of data."
Still no cloud saves. I'm not even after anything unique, just things that should be table stakes in 2018.
posted by jklaiho at 2:53 AM on May 4, 2018 [11 favorites]
Also Put Everything On Switch has covered all the bases.
The tragedy of this charming bot is that when I scroll through it, a good 40% of its posts elicit a 'that'd be cool though'.
Knowing that certain indie games, not even terribly recent ones - Hollow Knight, Hyper Light Drifter, Firewatch - are coming to the switch has pretty much killed my steam wishlist stone dead, I'm just happy to wait. It even means that my virtuous joy at Subset Games actively seeking to bring Into The Breach to linux is tempered by the knowledge that it really would be perfect on the switch.
You have this odd situation though where a chunk of the online fanbase are deeply against WiiU games coming to Switch, which tend to be lumped in as 'ports'. Partially its a fear that this will eat up oxygen for new games but part of it seems to be WiiU owners who are dead set against . Granted they bought these games already but there's a strong undercurrent of this awful nerd-culture "I suffered for these games on a DOA console, why should johnny-come-lately get to play a director's cut edition?" sentiment.
posted by ocular shenanigans at 3:27 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
The tragedy of this charming bot is that when I scroll through it, a good 40% of its posts elicit a 'that'd be cool though'.
Knowing that certain indie games, not even terribly recent ones - Hollow Knight, Hyper Light Drifter, Firewatch - are coming to the switch has pretty much killed my steam wishlist stone dead, I'm just happy to wait. It even means that my virtuous joy at Subset Games actively seeking to bring Into The Breach to linux is tempered by the knowledge that it really would be perfect on the switch.
You have this odd situation though where a chunk of the online fanbase are deeply against WiiU games coming to Switch, which tend to be lumped in as 'ports'. Partially its a fear that this will eat up oxygen for new games but part of it seems to be WiiU owners who are dead set against . Granted they bought these games already but there's a strong undercurrent of this awful nerd-culture "I suffered for these games on a DOA console, why should johnny-come-lately get to play a director's cut edition?" sentiment.
posted by ocular shenanigans at 3:27 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
A Katamari Damacy port (but also Okami and Shadow of the Colossus) and my life on the Switch will be complete.
Given that Namco's current strategy with respect to Katamari seems to be to shit on its legacy as much as possible, presumably as a fuck-you to Keita Takahashi, by burying the actual games with the Katamari mechanics and releasing painfully awful freemium tap-the-screen games based on the IP, that is probably unlikely to happen in any way that is not terrible. Perhaps it's best to hope that they forget about Katamari until the patents on the mechanics expire around the late 2020s.
posted by acb at 4:02 AM on May 4, 2018
Given that Namco's current strategy with respect to Katamari seems to be to shit on its legacy as much as possible, presumably as a fuck-you to Keita Takahashi, by burying the actual games with the Katamari mechanics and releasing painfully awful freemium tap-the-screen games based on the IP, that is probably unlikely to happen in any way that is not terrible. Perhaps it's best to hope that they forget about Katamari until the patents on the mechanics expire around the late 2020s.
posted by acb at 4:02 AM on May 4, 2018
I am so sick of the discourse around Ninendo always for years being like “the Nintendo games are much more fun, but the platform is not as powerful as the other platforms.”
Who cares! Doesn’t people care about fun? Who has fun with “power”? Is that why they called their magazine Nintendo Power? Just to fuck with that? Geek culture is the worst sometimes. Who’s here to have fun playing video games? Who’s here to benchmark them instead?
posted by oceanjesse at 4:38 AM on May 4, 2018 [10 favorites]
Who cares! Doesn’t people care about fun? Who has fun with “power”? Is that why they called their magazine Nintendo Power? Just to fuck with that? Geek culture is the worst sometimes. Who’s here to have fun playing video games? Who’s here to benchmark them instead?
posted by oceanjesse at 4:38 AM on May 4, 2018 [10 favorites]
I've mentioned it here before, but the iPad version of Katamari Damacy could have been a reboot that got a whole new generation attached to the franchise. Instead, Namco made a game that had two levels so easy they were boring and a masocore third level that frustrated away anybody who might've still cared.
So yeah no. Takahashi has pretty publicly stated that he's more interested in things that are not Katamari Damacy, and Namco seems content to kick shovelware out the door just frequently enough to reassert copyright control.
posted by ardgedee at 4:42 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
So yeah no. Takahashi has pretty publicly stated that he's more interested in things that are not Katamari Damacy, and Namco seems content to kick shovelware out the door just frequently enough to reassert copyright control.
posted by ardgedee at 4:42 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
If they just did a port of the original PS3 Katamari to Switch, or the PS3 Katamari Forever greatest-hits compilation of it, that would be excellent. The Switch would be possibly the best platform for that. However, I don't have faith in Namco releasing any Katamari titles that aren't turds.
posted by acb at 5:02 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by acb at 5:02 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
> Oh man, Nintendo and the internet (pre-Switch, at least).
In terms of back-end infrastructure for consoles, my mental model goes a bit like this:
XBox Live: Massively distributed architecture running across Microsoft Azure datacentres spread around the world, with automatic failover and redundancy. Some quirks because of the fact accounts got merged with Microsoft accounts and some legacy billing, but the infrastructure is basically bomb-proof
Playstation Network: Probably running their own data centres but they at least have staff looking after things. They've built out a bunch of infrastructure themselves which means occasionally things fail catastrophically but it kinda mostly hangs together pretty well
Nintendo: literally a 7-year old PC under someone's desk that they've disabled Windows Updates on to make sure it doesn't reboot
posted by parm at 6:12 AM on May 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
In terms of back-end infrastructure for consoles, my mental model goes a bit like this:
XBox Live: Massively distributed architecture running across Microsoft Azure datacentres spread around the world, with automatic failover and redundancy. Some quirks because of the fact accounts got merged with Microsoft accounts and some legacy billing, but the infrastructure is basically bomb-proof
Playstation Network: Probably running their own data centres but they at least have staff looking after things. They've built out a bunch of infrastructure themselves which means occasionally things fail catastrophically but it kinda mostly hangs together pretty well
Nintendo: literally a 7-year old PC under someone's desk that they've disabled Windows Updates on to make sure it doesn't reboot
posted by parm at 6:12 AM on May 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
How good are the controls on the Switch? Compared to a PS4?
posted by jeff-o-matic at 6:29 AM on May 4, 2018
posted by jeff-o-matic at 6:29 AM on May 4, 2018
My 16yo daughter is a Katamari nut. I literally bought her a used PS2 specifically for Katamari and We Love Katamari. If those games come over to the switch, that would be the game that puts us over the edge to buy one.
posted by nushustu at 6:44 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by nushustu at 6:44 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
How good are the controls on the Switch? Compared to a PS4?
I haven't used a PS4 controller, but everything on the Switch feels pretty good. I prefer using the Pro Controller to the connected Joy-Cons while in docked mode, but I can play complex twin-stick shooters like Doom or Enter the Gungeon in portable mode and not feel like I'm sacrificing anything. My biggest bugaboo with PlayStation has always been the separated left D-pad (which also crops up on the Switch's left Joy-Con, due to its secondary sideways mode), which have always felt wrong to my thumb after a lifetime of using Nintendo/Sega-style cross pads, so your mileage may vary.
posted by Strange Interlude at 6:48 AM on May 4, 2018
I haven't used a PS4 controller, but everything on the Switch feels pretty good. I prefer using the Pro Controller to the connected Joy-Cons while in docked mode, but I can play complex twin-stick shooters like Doom or Enter the Gungeon in portable mode and not feel like I'm sacrificing anything. My biggest bugaboo with PlayStation has always been the separated left D-pad (which also crops up on the Switch's left Joy-Con, due to its secondary sideways mode), which have always felt wrong to my thumb after a lifetime of using Nintendo/Sega-style cross pads, so your mileage may vary.
posted by Strange Interlude at 6:48 AM on May 4, 2018
I just wish most of these ports didn't also come with a 'Nintendo Tax'. There are a lot of games that I would double-dip on because the Switch is great, but I own them elsewhere and probably bought them at a cheaper price. But, because they're "new", they are priced well out of impulse range.
Captain Toad is a great game, but 40 bucks? Plus the original came with an amiibo and I haven't seen signs that the new one does.
posted by graventy at 7:09 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Captain Toad is a great game, but 40 bucks? Plus the original came with an amiibo and I haven't seen signs that the new one does.
posted by graventy at 7:09 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
I grew up with Intellivision, Colecovision and Commodore 64 until about 1988. Then I didn't really touch a video game until I bought an Xbox360 on a whim after seeing some stuff about Oblivion. So I missed the entire Nintendo generation (though arcade Donkey Kong was huge when I was a kid).
To me, today's Nintendo products are some sort of in-joke that I don't get. Everything about their platform seems to be about nostalgia for old games that I just wasn't there for. Link? Princess Peach? Who? Why is Mario still around in creepy 3D? Why is everything so blocky and cartoony? Squeaky kid voices and bobbleheads?
I'm not knocking it, and if that appeals to you, then great. Add to that this odd attitude of "we are determined to remain the least powerful platform for every generation," and it isn't that I look down on Nintendo. To me, Nintendo is an odd product that is puzzling. I tried the Wii several times with friends... Fun for about an hour. Never liked the motion controlled Gumby-looking sports stuff either. Switch might make sense because of portability, but personally, if I want to play a game, I have a certain time and place in my apartment that I carve out for it.
Nintendo has more kid-friendly games, which is great. But I don't have kids. Today I have a PS4. Just thought I'd add a different perspective. I'm not a hater, it all looks so alien to me.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 7:10 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
To me, today's Nintendo products are some sort of in-joke that I don't get. Everything about their platform seems to be about nostalgia for old games that I just wasn't there for. Link? Princess Peach? Who? Why is Mario still around in creepy 3D? Why is everything so blocky and cartoony? Squeaky kid voices and bobbleheads?
I'm not knocking it, and if that appeals to you, then great. Add to that this odd attitude of "we are determined to remain the least powerful platform for every generation," and it isn't that I look down on Nintendo. To me, Nintendo is an odd product that is puzzling. I tried the Wii several times with friends... Fun for about an hour. Never liked the motion controlled Gumby-looking sports stuff either. Switch might make sense because of portability, but personally, if I want to play a game, I have a certain time and place in my apartment that I carve out for it.
Nintendo has more kid-friendly games, which is great. But I don't have kids. Today I have a PS4. Just thought I'd add a different perspective. I'm not a hater, it all looks so alien to me.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 7:10 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
The Switch has been on my mind the last couple of weeks, ever since it became known that it comes with a built-in hardware 'flaw' that should allow full jailbreaking soon.
Which, of course, will allow third party emulators and likely thousands and thousands of old emulated games very soon after that. So, like, no Nintendo tax.
The process is not quite there yet, so only for the very brave right now, but it's progressing very quickly.
posted by rokusan at 8:05 AM on May 4, 2018
Which, of course, will allow third party emulators and likely thousands and thousands of old emulated games very soon after that. So, like, no Nintendo tax.
The process is not quite there yet, so only for the very brave right now, but it's progressing very quickly.
posted by rokusan at 8:05 AM on May 4, 2018
Nintendo is the "party games" of consoles, where the other consoles are the "serious gaming with fiddly bits".
There's a time and place for each. Some folks want quality 1v1 fighters with frame-perfect combos. Some folks want Smash Bros. Some folks want in-depth sports games with realistic physics and authentic players. Some folks want Mario Tennis.
Yeah, their aesthetic comes off as "kiddy," but the games are legitimately fun, and some of us already have too much "adult" in our lives, and we're ready for silly.
With regard to the nostalgia, it's just ongoing IPs. Maybe you weren't there for Super Mario Bros, but maybe you came in at Super Mario World. Or Super Mario 64. Or Odyssey. Complaining about Mario's presence in Nintendo is like complaining about Mickey at Disney World. You don't have to like it, but that's how it is.
posted by explosion at 8:06 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
There's a time and place for each. Some folks want quality 1v1 fighters with frame-perfect combos. Some folks want Smash Bros. Some folks want in-depth sports games with realistic physics and authentic players. Some folks want Mario Tennis.
Yeah, their aesthetic comes off as "kiddy," but the games are legitimately fun, and some of us already have too much "adult" in our lives, and we're ready for silly.
With regard to the nostalgia, it's just ongoing IPs. Maybe you weren't there for Super Mario Bros, but maybe you came in at Super Mario World. Or Super Mario 64. Or Odyssey. Complaining about Mario's presence in Nintendo is like complaining about Mickey at Disney World. You don't have to like it, but that's how it is.
posted by explosion at 8:06 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
As a switch and Wii U owner (and having owned all Nintendo platforms other than virtualboy...), the stream of ports is disappointing. The one port I was kinda looking forward to was Dark Souls, and that's been pushed back. And yea, I don't care about ports, beyond their ability to move more consoles and justify more new game publications.
There's surprisingly few new AAA title games announced for 2018 on Switch. Based on the demo, Octopath Traveller could be an interesting puzzle game built on RPG mechanics, which is a welcome departure from the Bravely 'break the game and grind it' franchise. Smash is a guaranteed order, but it doesn't have a release date beyond '2018.'
posted by pwnguin at 8:33 AM on May 4, 2018
There's surprisingly few new AAA title games announced for 2018 on Switch. Based on the demo, Octopath Traveller could be an interesting puzzle game built on RPG mechanics, which is a welcome departure from the Bravely 'break the game and grind it' franchise. Smash is a guaranteed order, but it doesn't have a release date beyond '2018.'
posted by pwnguin at 8:33 AM on May 4, 2018
I do think this console feels different to me. That it adapts to so many different lifestyles and playstyles. This is what makes the Switch so special to me.
If you have kids or are throwing a party, it's wonderful for group gaming events. It's also a great way for me to wind-down at the end of the day in bed playing my favourite rogue-likes. Or if you want to play something on the couch with a partner or a friend and be in their company while they can do their tv thing and you can do your gaming thing. I love that this is an option. It opens up gaming in a lot of ways.
Or maybe I've just drunk all the kool-aid. Either way, I'm happy with this Frankenstein-like device.
posted by Fizz at 8:41 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
If you have kids or are throwing a party, it's wonderful for group gaming events. It's also a great way for me to wind-down at the end of the day in bed playing my favourite rogue-likes. Or if you want to play something on the couch with a partner or a friend and be in their company while they can do their tv thing and you can do your gaming thing. I love that this is an option. It opens up gaming in a lot of ways.
Or maybe I've just drunk all the kool-aid. Either way, I'm happy with this Frankenstein-like device.
posted by Fizz at 8:41 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
Nintendo has more kid-friendly games, which is great. But I don't have kids. Today I have a PS4.
I don't have kids, either. I would rather have my PS4 and Switch. (Also no pets, so might as well have a Vita and 2DS, too.)
I do hope Tokyo Mirage Sessions is released for Switch. It looked fun, but I didn't notice it until the Wii U was already discontinued, and I was not about to pay a premium for a used one.
Can confirm that Breath of the Wild requires no Zelda nostalgia whatsoever to enjoy.
posted by asperity at 8:42 AM on May 4, 2018
I don't have kids, either. I would rather have my PS4 and Switch. (Also no pets, so might as well have a Vita and 2DS, too.)
I do hope Tokyo Mirage Sessions is released for Switch. It looked fun, but I didn't notice it until the Wii U was already discontinued, and I was not about to pay a premium for a used one.
Can confirm that Breath of the Wild requires no Zelda nostalgia whatsoever to enjoy.
posted by asperity at 8:42 AM on May 4, 2018
I too hope Tokyo Mirage Sessions is ported to the Switch. I thoroughly enjoyed it on the Wii U and would happily play through it again on the Switch. The animated cut scenes were lush and for me it was the right balance of Fire Emblem x Persona. YMMV depending on tolerance for J-Pop. I have the soundtrack to give you an idea where my tolerance levels lay.
I'm not sure it's a shoe in for a port as I don't think it sold fantastically, but here's hoping.
posted by diziet at 8:49 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure it's a shoe in for a port as I don't think it sold fantastically, but here's hoping.
posted by diziet at 8:49 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
The animated cut scenes were lush and for me it was the right balance of Fire Emblem x Persona. YMMV depending on tolerance for J-Pop.
Check out Disgaea 5 if you want something similar to this only more weird and funny. :D
posted by Fizz at 8:53 AM on May 4, 2018
Check out Disgaea 5 if you want something similar to this only more weird and funny. :D
posted by Fizz at 8:53 AM on May 4, 2018
Speaking as someone who has played Nintendo since the original NES came out in the 80s, I love the games, hate the hardware. I bought my kids (9 and 15) a Switch for Christmas with a couple of games and a spare set of controllers. It must have cost about $600 after tax (in Canada), which is way way way beyond what I would normally budget for Christmas.
Imagine my surprise when it turns out that Splatoon is not a multiplayer game on Switch. So I have to buy another console/device if I want to play it.
Wii U was also a somewhat disappointing purchase as well, since there weren't very many games for it.
posted by JamesBay at 8:58 AM on May 4, 2018
Imagine my surprise when it turns out that Splatoon is not a multiplayer game on Switch. So I have to buy another console/device if I want to play it.
Wii U was also a somewhat disappointing purchase as well, since there weren't very many games for it.
posted by JamesBay at 8:58 AM on May 4, 2018
Disgaea appeals too, I've not yet visited it on the Switch or any other console. I really must pick up a copy as it comes well recommended.
posted by diziet at 9:22 AM on May 4, 2018
posted by diziet at 9:22 AM on May 4, 2018
Imagine my surprise when it turns out that Splatoon is not a multiplayer game on Switch.
Well, not a local CO-OP multiplayer game. There is multiplayer for online. And I hear you, I was disappointed to find out that local was not included as a mode or option. It feels kind of cheap that this mode was not included, I cannot imagine it taking that much more programming effort but that's just me arm-chair bitching.
posted by Fizz at 9:26 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Well, not a local CO-OP multiplayer game. There is multiplayer for online. And I hear you, I was disappointed to find out that local was not included as a mode or option. It feels kind of cheap that this mode was not included, I cannot imagine it taking that much more programming effort but that's just me arm-chair bitching.
posted by Fizz at 9:26 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
*shrug* Even Disney comes out with new IPs every year. They don't trot out a new blockbuster Mickey Mouse movie each summer. Mickey is central to the company's history and brand, but isn't continuously rebooted decade after decade.
Do young kids today connect with Mario? I mean, he's a weird Italian-American stereotype character that made his debut in 1983... I'm honestly curious: Is Nintendo's nostalgia business model going to go sour in a generation?
posted by jeff-o-matic at 9:48 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Do young kids today connect with Mario? I mean, he's a weird Italian-American stereotype character that made his debut in 1983... I'm honestly curious: Is Nintendo's nostalgia business model going to go sour in a generation?
posted by jeff-o-matic at 9:48 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
$300? $600??
...I've never understood why PC gaming is considered the expensive hobby of the two. It's not as if it actually requires you to go full custom-built dedicated-GPU flashing-LEDs gaming rig argleblargle -- the world of PC games is way bigger than your big-name triple-A bleeding-edge-graphics actionfests, as much as the corporate marketing would like people to believe otherwise.
Anyway I was just going to say I would have totally loved to have Necrodancer on a portable device but then my train of thought got utterly, utterly derailed by the price tags...
posted by inconstant at 10:00 AM on May 4, 2018
...I've never understood why PC gaming is considered the expensive hobby of the two. It's not as if it actually requires you to go full custom-built dedicated-GPU flashing-LEDs gaming rig argleblargle -- the world of PC games is way bigger than your big-name triple-A bleeding-edge-graphics actionfests, as much as the corporate marketing would like people to believe otherwise.
Anyway I was just going to say I would have totally loved to have Necrodancer on a portable device but then my train of thought got utterly, utterly derailed by the price tags...
posted by inconstant at 10:00 AM on May 4, 2018
Is Nintendo's nostalgia business model going to go sour in a generation?
I don't think there's any such business model. If the basis of Nintendo's success were nostalgia, then the Wii U wouldn't have been such a garbage fire. The reason people are excited about the Switch is that it's a good portable system with a decent range of good games, including at least 2 of the best games released in the last few years. End of story, really. Nintendo don't succeed by milking the same old same old, they only succeed when they actually have something to sell that people want to buy; at the moment they have that, although doubtless they'll fuck it up again at some point.
posted by howfar at 10:23 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
I don't think there's any such business model. If the basis of Nintendo's success were nostalgia, then the Wii U wouldn't have been such a garbage fire. The reason people are excited about the Switch is that it's a good portable system with a decent range of good games, including at least 2 of the best games released in the last few years. End of story, really. Nintendo don't succeed by milking the same old same old, they only succeed when they actually have something to sell that people want to buy; at the moment they have that, although doubtless they'll fuck it up again at some point.
posted by howfar at 10:23 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
Do young kids today connect with Mario? I mean, he's a weird Italian-American stereotype character that made his debut in 1983... I'm honestly curious: Is Nintendo's nostalgia business model going to go sour in a generation?
I don't have an enormous sample size, but among my nieces and nephews the answer is: yeah, they do connect (inasmuch as is needed for them to enjoy the games). They aren't drawn to the games because of nostalgia, but because Nintendo's flagship games tend to be quite accessible and fun they definitely enjoy them and have grown attachments to the IPs. For example, they don't have an attachment to older Legend of Zelda games, but they really love Breath of the Wild and would consider themselves fans of the series.
In some ways, in fact, they're becoming fans in ways that older players are not. For example, I think amiibos are pretty dumb, but the kids love 'em.
An interesting specific case, I think of Super Mario Odyssey as being a pretty interesting side-by-side comparison. I love the game because I love 3D Mario platformers back to the N64 days, and a ton of the skills I have transferred right over. I basically didn't even need the manual, I knew how to do the moves I was familiar with immediately. But: it turns out they added tons of new stuff that is way more complicated or kinda combo-chaining, which I never really bothered with, but the kids got super into.
Critically: both ways were valid! My wife and I finished the game with basically 100% completion (minus two super boringly annoying unlocks) using the old moves. My nephew did the same thing, but is super into cap-throwing/jumping/spinning combos for crazy horizontal movement, just to show off or reach "secret" areas (which it turns out I reached via other means).
I guess the point being: Nintendo still knows how to make a really engaging game that kids these days are gonna love, even if they don't have the nostalgia factor.
posted by tocts at 10:25 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
I don't have an enormous sample size, but among my nieces and nephews the answer is: yeah, they do connect (inasmuch as is needed for them to enjoy the games). They aren't drawn to the games because of nostalgia, but because Nintendo's flagship games tend to be quite accessible and fun they definitely enjoy them and have grown attachments to the IPs. For example, they don't have an attachment to older Legend of Zelda games, but they really love Breath of the Wild and would consider themselves fans of the series.
In some ways, in fact, they're becoming fans in ways that older players are not. For example, I think amiibos are pretty dumb, but the kids love 'em.
An interesting specific case, I think of Super Mario Odyssey as being a pretty interesting side-by-side comparison. I love the game because I love 3D Mario platformers back to the N64 days, and a ton of the skills I have transferred right over. I basically didn't even need the manual, I knew how to do the moves I was familiar with immediately. But: it turns out they added tons of new stuff that is way more complicated or kinda combo-chaining, which I never really bothered with, but the kids got super into.
Critically: both ways were valid! My wife and I finished the game with basically 100% completion (minus two super boringly annoying unlocks) using the old moves. My nephew did the same thing, but is super into cap-throwing/jumping/spinning combos for crazy horizontal movement, just to show off or reach "secret" areas (which it turns out I reached via other means).
I guess the point being: Nintendo still knows how to make a really engaging game that kids these days are gonna love, even if they don't have the nostalgia factor.
posted by tocts at 10:25 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Well, that's what I mean when I say it's not all about expensive systems and triple-A games. "PC gaming" includes things that will run on my five-year-old Dell laptop and don't actually require purchasing anything beyond the game itself.
posted by inconstant at 10:26 AM on May 4, 2018
posted by inconstant at 10:26 AM on May 4, 2018
TBH, based on what my son plays, I think these days a PC has to be able to run Rocket League, Overwatch and Fortnite.
posted by JamesBay at 10:29 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by JamesBay at 10:29 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
I get that this is what you as a parent are most concerned with, but the fact is that people other than your son and his friends also play PC games.
posted by inconstant at 10:31 AM on May 4, 2018
posted by inconstant at 10:31 AM on May 4, 2018
How good are the controls on the Switch? Compared to a PS4?
My big hands prefer the Switch Pro Controller over a PS4 controller. My partner's smaller hands like the Joycon conform grip instead and find the pro controller a little too heavy (the thing has amazing battery life, especially compared to our aging PS4 controllers).
posted by thecjm at 10:47 AM on May 4, 2018
My big hands prefer the Switch Pro Controller over a PS4 controller. My partner's smaller hands like the Joycon conform grip instead and find the pro controller a little too heavy (the thing has amazing battery life, especially compared to our aging PS4 controllers).
posted by thecjm at 10:47 AM on May 4, 2018
Oh man, the Switch Pro Controller is just so good overall. After using it for a while and going back to the PS4, the DualShock 4 feels weirdly too wide and like it's at a bad angle or something, and I remember how much I hate the mushy L2/R2 buttons.
On the other hand, the Joy-Con grip is actually quite good for some games — I genuinely love the clicky little individual direction buttons for playing Tetris, f'rinstance.
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:25 PM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
On the other hand, the Joy-Con grip is actually quite good for some games — I genuinely love the clicky little individual direction buttons for playing Tetris, f'rinstance.
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:25 PM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
“Nintendo Switch and Game Ports” [13:04]—Electric Playground, 04 May 2018
posted by ob1quixote at 2:07 PM on May 5, 2018
posted by ob1quixote at 2:07 PM on May 5, 2018
Wii U and Switch owner here. The portability makes it worth rebuying nearly everything.
Double-dipping on Captain Toad and the eventual Super Mario 3D World.
posted by porn in the woods at 10:03 AM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Double-dipping on Captain Toad and the eventual Super Mario 3D World.
posted by porn in the woods at 10:03 AM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
To me, today's Nintendo products are some sort of in-joke that I don't get.
I know exactly what you mean. I didn’t pay much attention during the Nintendo 64 era, so when I got locked in on Mario Kart on the Wii, I felt like everybody else must know the backstories on, say, Dry Bones or Waluigi. I had to learn that there really is no backstory. They are just icons. I’m sure the obsessive types out there have some depth of lore that comes from merch or snippets on webpages or something else, but the average player never experienced a game where there is a lengthy story about Yoshi and his background. He’s just Yoshi, that’s all.
That’s really not that different than Disneyland, though. I grew up in Southern California going to Disneyland all the time, but I never saw Swiss Family Robinson, and I didn’t know what Mr. Toad was “about.” It was just iconography, but it worked that way.
And listen, I’ve played a half-dozen Zelda games, and Link is mostly just a cipher. He’s a tireless little sprite who occasionally gasps in cutscenes and gets bossed around by fairy voices. Again, I’m sure some people stay up late piecing together Link’s “true” story, but really, whatever you think he is is your projection onto an icon.
In other words, you’re not missing much.
posted by argybarg at 11:19 AM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
I know exactly what you mean. I didn’t pay much attention during the Nintendo 64 era, so when I got locked in on Mario Kart on the Wii, I felt like everybody else must know the backstories on, say, Dry Bones or Waluigi. I had to learn that there really is no backstory. They are just icons. I’m sure the obsessive types out there have some depth of lore that comes from merch or snippets on webpages or something else, but the average player never experienced a game where there is a lengthy story about Yoshi and his background. He’s just Yoshi, that’s all.
That’s really not that different than Disneyland, though. I grew up in Southern California going to Disneyland all the time, but I never saw Swiss Family Robinson, and I didn’t know what Mr. Toad was “about.” It was just iconography, but it worked that way.
And listen, I’ve played a half-dozen Zelda games, and Link is mostly just a cipher. He’s a tireless little sprite who occasionally gasps in cutscenes and gets bossed around by fairy voices. Again, I’m sure some people stay up late piecing together Link’s “true” story, but really, whatever you think he is is your projection onto an icon.
In other words, you’re not missing much.
posted by argybarg at 11:19 AM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Dry Bones goes back to Mario 3, Walugi is hyperreal.
posted by Pope Guilty at 3:30 PM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Pope Guilty at 3:30 PM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Fortnite seems like it could work really well on Switch.
posted by cell divide at 3:33 PM on May 6, 2018
posted by cell divide at 3:33 PM on May 6, 2018
And Spy Party! The perfect platform for local Spy Party!
posted by DoctorFedora at 6:19 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by DoctorFedora at 6:19 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
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As a person who likes Good Games, though, I'm looking forward to this brief period where what Nintendo wants for the industry is relevant. We're in a golden age for the medium right now, and that's in part due to Nintendo's tremendous output last year.
(Also Persona 5 Golden on Switch please)
posted by Merus at 7:56 PM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]