Nintendo Switch

From an article posted in the games of 2022 thread, there was a recommendation for a bunch of games that are fun to play with your kids. So I had Please Touch The Artwork on my wishlist on Switch.

Well, it’s on sale for $2 today. I almost but but then it occurred to me, wait a minute. A game called Please Touch The Artwork? Maybe it’s for handheld mode only? And I checked the eShop webpage and sure enough, it only supports handheld mode, something I don’t want my son to find out about yet, and have never tried.

But hey, I recall some of you like to play the Switch in handheld mode so might appreciate the word on the sale price.

I did this sale to get the mini-golf games for $0.49 each. We’ll see if they’re any good.

Anything else in that lineup worth getting?

https://qubicgames.com/19/

I can’t get Step 2 to work though. I’d love to snag Bittrip Runner for $0.49 if I could.

Edit: Oh hey, Step 2 works now. I just needed to give it some time. Grabbed Bittrip runner for 0.49.

Mana Spark is supposed to be a potent metroidvania, but I overdosed on those and find almost all of them mediocre nowadays.

I much enjoyed Dungeon Top, which is a sort of board game with roguelite trends. Definitely worth much more than a buck, or half a buck even in my opinion.

One Strike is fun for a few rounds of 2 players versus play. It is a fighting game where any blow is lethal.

Will we finally see Metroid Prime 4 in action? Can Silksong lock down a release date?

Oh nice. I like the use of “mostly” there. That means they will mention something outside of the first half of 2023. Maybe the “one last thing” moment at the end.

Rumors that Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp will launch tomorrow. I probably won’t get it because I played through them on GBA, but for people who never touched the series, that’s absolutely worth your time if you like turn-based strategy.

Also, Nintendo put out their financial statement overnight.

They’re up to 122.5 million Switch units sold. That means only Nintendo DS and PS2 have sold more.

i’m obligated to despise success, as it is inscribed in our local constitution, but i’ll say it, no matter the risks: long live the little console that turned me at last into a happy sheep of the nintendo herd.

Wait, like, physical release tomorrow?!?!?

In the words of Bruno, ich don’t think so!

I do see a rumor of April release on reddit

Why would the physical release be tomorrow? Wouldn’t it be more likely the digital version would be what drops the day of announcement, if anything?

Someone who works at Walmart said they had already received materials for a Feb 10 release (physical) and the listing got an update on the Nintendo eshop that didn’t change anything anyone could see on the outward listing. This kicked off a lot of speculation that a Direct was coming this week, which now it is. Put it all together and you may see Advance Wars for sale online tomorrow and in stores Friday.

Outside of extremely limited “collectors’ edition” things thru Limited Run Games, or cases where a game first was physical-only or digital-only and later added the other format, have physical and digital ever had separate release dates? That would be why this wouldn’t happen. It’s always been slated for physical + digital.

Digital release followed by a later physical release has been coming up a decent amount in the COVID era, simply because it’s easier to lock in a release date for the digital version that isn’t going to be delayed by supply chain issues or whatever.

A two-day difference is slightly different, but given that the game currently doesn’t have a release date announced and that Nintendo has a history of releasing games during their Direct presentations, it wouldn’t be that weird for the digital game to be out tomorrow and the physical version to be out in the near future.

I guess we’ll see what happens! As long as there’s a way to do a straight overhead view of the battlefield like there was on DS, I’m in! But I have to say I’m not loving the angled view that seems to be default (and possibly the only option)

I’m considering buying myself a Switch for travel purposes, I have some questions…

  • How comfortable are the detachable controls when you stick them together with the screen separate? Or is a separate gamepad pretty much a must have (can I use my xbox pad)?
  • How much of a role does physical media play in day to day use (I wanna avoid it as much as possible)?
  • Anyone have any experience loading Android on it so I can watch Netflix or whatevs?
  • Must have games that aren’t too action-orientated? (too much of that with a gamepad makes my thumb ache)
  • On that note, I’m certain there was a Switch VN style game everyone was hot about a year or two ago… Can anyone tell me the name of it? I think the big draw was ‘wow, this is like a VN but the characters are actually animated and interact with the environment’

Thanks!

Joycons as singly hand held items are… not great. Fortunately there is a holster that comes with the console to make them into a single controller of sorts, that is perfectly fine. You can get separate controllers, but far from necessary.

I do mostly digital, but physical for large flagship titles like Smash Bros or Breath of the Wild. Ones that take up larger memory profiles. But you could just get micro SD cards and do absolutely zero physical.

Mario and Rabbids Kingdom Battles with the Donkey Kong expansion. Would Mario Oddyssey be too action by your standard? If not that too.

The Switch comes with a little controller-shaped holder for the Joy Cons. It’s perfectly serviceable as a controller, but I think if you have larger hands, it might be uncomfortable enough that you’d want something else. The Pro Controller is a brilliant controller but not cheap. There’s also the Hori Split Pad Pro, which essentially grafts two halves of a normal controller to the sides of the Switch, but it can’t be used disconnected. You can’t use an Xbox controller with it (though I never say never because I’m sure some genius has figured it out).

I don’t think there’s any reason to go digital if you don’t want. Everything is available through the eShop. You’re only limited by your storage space.

(If there are kids in the picture or if you think you might end up with a multi-Switch household, then I think physical makes more sense just for ease of sharing).

There are lots of brilliant strategy games and JRPGs on the system. The Xenoblade Chronicles series is a personal favorite. Mario + Rabbids is a great Xcom-like. There are a couple of Fire Emblem games. And I haven’t played it yet, but Persona 5 released on the system recently and has many fans.

I am far from an expert in this realm, but was it maybe 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim?

I don’t think you can put Android on the Switch? Hacking it at all is trickier than Nintendo’s previous systems and last I checked required certain older models, a bit of hardware fiddling, and repeating the exploit anytime the system powers off. Though I haven’t looked in a while.

One thing I’d add to that is if your travel purposes include airplane travel then having the joycons separate and in each hand may actually be the most comfortable way to play. I’ve found on airplanes that setting the switch on your tray table and trying to use a controller means you end up having to try to hold it in weird places to avoid partially blocking the screen. Being able to hold the joycons in each hand you can actually just rest your arms at your sides in a fairly comfortable position.

That said, the Switch Pro controller is really great and I always end up throwing it in my bag to travel with me.

No Android on Switch unless you purchase one of the earliest systems. Launch units were hackable, but they closed the holes.

You’ll have so much to play though that it shouldn’t really be a big deal. You can go all digital, all physical, or whatever mix you prefer. Get a big SD card if you go digital.

Xbox controllers can be used with USB adapters, but it wouldn’t be conducive to travel that way. There are lots of good third party options, but the JoyCons are fine. I actually prefer them split if I am playing with them as my control scheme. I use the Pro Controller most of the time though.

Must have games that are not action games at all… Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition, XC2 and XC3, Pokemon Legends: Arceus or Pokemon Scarlet/Violet, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo Switch Sports (action but motion controlled)… and probably a ton more.