2971

Some of that is the atrocious App Store interface, though. iPhone app sales would have been at least somewhat more distributed if users could actually find anything in the store short of typing its exact full name.

Of course I’m not taking any bets that the Switch interface would work out any better in an oversaturated market scenario.

2972

I don’t know who pissed in your cheerios but do you have a point to all your negativity?

I will (and have) gladly pay the premium to have games on the switch over PC (outside a few examples like Doom because, FPS is for pcs) because the form factor makes a huge difference for me. Having a form factor that is ideal for playing in bed or on the train while also be able to play directly on the TV without terrible cabling is a massive boon for me, and 100% I will buy any console cross platform game on the Switch over my PS4 if possible.

Even outside of out of the house portability it has everything I wanted out of the Nvidia Shield lineup but they could never deliver on (both on portability and ease of use).

2973

The eshop interface is indeed godawful.

2974

My Switch should be arriving tomorrow along with copies of Mario Odyssey and Zelda–any single player-focused games I should check out aside from Mario + Rabbids which I’m already eyeing?

2975

Steamworld Dig 2 is a lot of fun.

2976

Yes, my point is that the App Store historical sales data from 2009-present tells a story. I am sorry if this data is not to your liking.

2977

Don’t have the link, but I did read a story about indies on the Switch being aware that this period is a bit of a gold rush. The optimists believe that it will continue to be a good platform, but they know it will not continue this way.

2978

Ok and? You are just reaching for something negative to say after someone presented you with evidence to prove your previous negative statements away.

Not to mention the apple app store is not a good comparison. All you have ever had to pay was $99 to have your app in the app store, that is not the case on the Switch, just like it’s not the case on the 3ds eshop, PSN, nor XB’s store. And yet indies are successfully making money on those platforms.

2979

All I can say is that the Switch is the first console to make me want to buy cross-platform releases for it rather than on PC purely because of the portability. That’s a sea change for me.

Edit: Nice to see Affordable Space Adventures getting some love @kerzain.

And yeah, Overcooked is a stressful game even when you’re not struggling with the controller! My other half had difficulties at first but once she was over the controls she come to really enjoy the co-op despite the stress. What @Nesrie says is right though: Overcooked is all about shouting at each other. That is, until you’ve got a level nailed and you’re all silently working together like a well oiled machine. It’s a thing of beauty then and feels great.

2980

That attitude might help keep the bubble going then. It’s like how 5 years ago everyone was rebuying their library on Steam for convenience and because everything was 80% off.

2981

You have hundreds of hours of gaming in the two games you already purchased. If you add Mario + Rabbids to that, you will have another 50 or so at least. Take some time to enjoy those first two and if you blow through them in a few weeks, you’ll have Xenoblade Chronicles 2 waiting for you.

That said, if you want some arcade action to break things up, get some of the Neo Geo releases. There are lots of indies you can dive into too of course. Golf Story, Shovel Knight (if you haven’t played it before), Tumbleseed, Kamiko, Graceful Explosion Machine, etc. Sonic Mania is another really nice change of pace. But seriously, new Switch owners will likely spend a LOT of time with Mario and Zelda when they first get the system because those two games are brilliant.

…and yeah, I agree with the above interest in buying cross-platform releases on the Switch over the PC. Portability is a massive selling point now given this device doesn’t compromise you on controls like a phone, tablet or iPad would. It just makes sense to purchase something you love all over again to take it with you while maintaining control integrity from the initial release.

2982

I’ll definitely be checking out some of those indie games. The Switch seems like a nice platform to check out some of those smaller games that I wouldn’t necessarily play at my desk on the PC.

I’m a bit wary of Xenoblade Chronicles, however… I’ve bounced hard off of most JRPGs I’ve tried, and the last one I actually finished was Final Fantasy VIII. That said, I guess I’ll end up giving it a shot eventually if the reception seems to be good.

2983

I understand that some people struggle with anime-style japanese RPGs. I think what has set this series apart in the previous two games is the combat systems are top notch. There’s a huge amount of customization and discovery available. I also think that Monolith creates some really memorable characters and the translation, especially in the first game, is high quality. Also, the music… well, that’s a whole thread in itself IMO. They have some of the best composers in the business working on these games.

Watch some videos, especially the latest Direct, if you are mildly interested. That showed off the characters and the combat rather well.

2984

FWIW I absolutely hate almost all JRPGs. I can’t stand the final fantasy mechanics or stories (at least the ones I played) and I can’t remember all the others I have tried and didn’t like.

The only two exceptions are Etrian Odyssey (though I usually only get about 10 or so hours in each) and Xenoblade Chronicles 3d (which I thoroughly enjoyed and beat after 65 hours according to my 3ds).

So as someone that’s not a JRPG fan I’m still excited for XC2 because I thoroughly enjoyed XC1/3d so much (only found it recently so never got a chance for XCX on the Wii U).

2985

That’s exactly it for me. Games I don’t really want to sit at the computer to play but don’t require/greatly benefit from mouse and keyboard, that aren’t suited to iOS for lack of physical controls, are PERFECT for Switch.

2986

Well, maybe you are not a fan of what the Switch offers or does. Or it doesn’t impact you in the same way that it seems to impact others due to your life structure. That’s fine. Maybe it’s not the system for you. Back in February, I was rather meh about it and expected it to be yet another Nintendo box that I’d never use. Even so, I found myself on a Best Buy sidewalk awaiting midnight anyway due to some dumb FOMO or something. Once I had it, I was hooked. I love my Switch like no other console. And I say this as someone that doesn’t like platformers or Nintendo IP generally.

I have a desktop and laptop PC. Both are fairly solid and I consider myself a PC gamer primarily. Or did. Not sure now. I am rebuying all kinds of independent releases on the Switch. I am discovering new ones. And I am waiting for more. The form factor, transportability, ease of TV integration, docked surround sound availability, and the like are just super nice. Yes I COULD go grab the laptop and update some game on Steam then play on the couch as someone else (or me) watched something on the TV, but now…why? I COULD haul out HDMI cables or buy a Steambox to tunnel games onto my TV, but…why? I COULD hunch over a PC to play Doom, Issac, Darkest Dungeon, or Battle Chasers, but…why? Steam sales? Earlier releases? Marginally better graphics that my ‘maybe too old for this technical crap’ attitude needs comparison videos to appreciate the differences? No, not me. I find the gains offered by the hybrid utility of the Switch totally worth it and super refreshing.

Is this akin to the App Store bubble? Again, to me, no way. The App Store stuff was a mix of mostly shovel-ware and a smidge of quality…until it all got infested with FtP design compromise aimed at paywalls. Plus, even in the “bubble” times, there was a vast difference between $1 or even $5 apps and Steam indies.

To me, the Switch eShop is no “bubble”. It’s a better platform for what I previously had to go to Steam to find. And even then, I had to park at a desk or lug around a (gee first world problem incoming) “heavy” laptop. No, the Switch is refreshing. It’s like cutting the cord on a landline phone or cable tv. I love having anything, anywhere in my backpack and with a 1 second resume or pause.

That last point is big too. Just last night, while reclined on the bed, I was tinkering around with a new indie I discovered (Spellspire). As I was racing against the clock to find scrabble like words fast enough to beat this skeleton boss, I suddenly felt the feminine tones of expectant conversation drift through the doorway. Rather than remain focused on the game (which would have been fine with her, I have a great partner), I just tapped the sleep button to resume exactly the millisecond I left off in 10 minutes or 10 days. Over the weekend I was playing quietly on the Switch in a hospital room next to a sleeping loved one in bed. When the nurse popped in with an update, I just tapped the Switch’s sleep mode to resume in seconds whenever time allowed. This is true even if the next slice of time is three minutes somewhere, anywhere else. It’s all rather nice and liberating.

I love my Switch. I didn’t know I wanted or “needed” one, but now that I have one, I do. Of course, your life may be structured differently which mutes the values above. So, YMMV. I know some that also love it while I also have some friends that see them as dust collectors. In general though, it seems the overall reception of gamers at large is a rather positive one that said gamers (like me) didn’t expect to have.

2987

My initial few days with the Switch mirror some of what you’re saying, Chaplin. Every console I’ve owned since the original Xbox tend to get some limited use at first, then does nothing but gather dust. I skipped the 360/PS3 generation, tried a PS4, with similar results. The bottom line is, whenever I play a game on a console, I’m always asking myself why I’m not just playing it on my PC. I prefer M&K, my PC looks/performs orders of magnitude better, and the Steam Link gives me the “on the couch” experience if I need.

The Switch changes that up, though, because there’s easy answers to “Why am I not just playing this on my PC?”: because I’m at a location where I have no access to my PC. I’m in bed, I’m on a park bench, etc. It’s the kind of thing I was wanting good mobile games for for years, but all of those games I’ve tried have either been way too shallow/simple or too limited due to the lack of controls. They’re games you play for 5 minutes while you’re on the crapper, not “real” games like I was looking for.

A good example for me is Steamworld Dig 2. I love Terraria and Starbound, and was tempted to get Steamwork Dig 2 on PC, but the lack of multiplayer put me off. Once again, though, the Switch changes that up because I’m playing games where I wouldn’t traditionally be playing multiplayer on my PC anyway. I’m really enjoying the hell out of that game, far more than I would have if I had it on my PC.

2988

The amount of time I’ve spent with the Switch this year is pretty insane for a device I expected to be nothing more than a Zelda and Mario machine when I bought it.

Here’s roughly how much time I’ve used it for:

  • Zelda: 120 hours (and many more to come once the DLC comes out in December)
  • Mario Kart 8: 15+ hours (and many more to come in local multiplayer over the holidays)
  • Splatoon 2: 30+ hours (fantastic campaign + multiplayer)
  • Steamworld Dig 2: 15 hours
  • Golf Story: 15-20 hours
  • Binding of Isaac: 10+ hours (and this is a regular go-to when I’m done with other games)
  • Mario Odyssey: 20+ hours (and I’m nowhere near done with this)
  • Picross S: 20+ hours
  • TumbleSeed: ~10 hours
  • Graceful Explosion Machine: 2-3 hours
  • Stardew Valley: 10 hours so far, many more to come once I’m done with Mario

Every single one of those games has been a great experience so far. And I haven’t even bought Mario + Rabbids yet, which I really really want to play eventually.

2989

How is Mario + Rabbids? I don’t know anything about it, other than what the Nintendo store tells me. I can tell it’s a tactics game and that sounds just like what I’m looking for, but what is the game structure? Do you just play through campaign levels and you’re done, or is there skirmish mode type stuff? Is there any continuity between the maps, or are they all isolated from each other (by that I mean customization, progression, etc in terms of loadout, abilities, or anything like that).

2990

Lots of good info. Limited spoilers. There are a few here that think it’s the Game of the Year. It’s up there with Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey for me but I think Zelda is my pick right now.