Topic: Nintendo Switch Wishlist Game Recommendations

[Khushrenada]

I recently scoured through all the titles listed as available for Switch or coming to it either physically or digitally and made a list of all the games that interested me or line up with my taste in some way. I created this list as a sort of buyer's guide for me for the titles I plan to watch out for and possible sales or deals that may come up for them.

(Obviously, titles I already own aren't on it so don't be shocked that I seemingly show no interest in something like Super Mario Odyssey or Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition because I don't mention them. Forget about what's not on here as it's only the stuff listed I want to hear more about.)


Let's get to the list:

Most Wanted
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Paper Mario: Origami King
Metroid Prime 4
Princess Peach: Showtime

Will Likely Also Purchase At Some Point
Pikmin 4
WarioWare: Move it
WarioWare: Get It Together
XC2 - Torna: The Golden Country
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
We Love Katamari Reroll
Sonic Superstars
Fire Emblem: Engage
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Pokemon Violet/Scarlet
Pokemon Shield
Moon (PS1 RPG)
Cocoon
Batman Arkham Trilogy
Splatoon 3
Another Code Recollection
Sonic Forces
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl Remaster
Kirby's Dream Buffet
Mario Strikers: Battle League

Leaning Towards Getting
Crime O'Clock
Sea of Stars
Chrono Cross
Shinsekai: Into the Depths
The Touryst
Elechead
Onion Assault
Tunic
Melatonin
Paleo Pines
Carto
AI: The Nirvania Initiative
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy
Blanc
Famicom Detective Club
Final Fantasy 1-6 Bundle
Final Fantasy 8
Final Fantasy 9
Monster Hunter Stories 2

Intrigued But Undecided
Portal Collection
Fitness Boxing 2
Super Mario 3D World & Bowser's Fury
Live A Live
Two Point Campus
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Party Animals
A Hat in Time
Dredge
Undertale

Low Concern
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Balan Wonderworld
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania
Starlink
Owlboy
The Stretchers
Yoku's Island Express
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town

[Khushrenada]

I've ordered this list by different levels. Most Wanted are games I will be buying for the Switch no matter what the reviews are and may likely buy at full price. Will Likely Purchase likewise falls under that same feeling except I am willing to wait for a deal to acquire those titles.

Leaning Towards Getting are games that are on a precipice. It's like I'm close to adding them to my must buy list but they just don't have the hype or perhaps the familiarity I have with the earlier titles listed that I'm likely to buy. Intrigued But Undecided are games that have an element or two that have caught my attention and but them on my radar but I also question whether I'd actually care for them much or have elements that also work against it. For instance, Baba Is You is a game that seems to have been highly praised. It got a 9/10 here. I even saw some video of some type of game awards or recognition being done in Japan where Sakurai was the presenter and he talked about and praised the game. The problem is when I see images of the game, it just looks dull, low budget and almost too abstract or stark for its visuals and world. That element is stronger or at least counters the knowledge I have of the critical reception that leaves me undecided on it.

As for Low Concern, these are games that got my attention at some point because they had some favorable reviews or has some elements that intrigued me but time passed and the hype went away and other titles came along that were more desired. If I never end up getting them, I don't think I'll have any regret about it since they never motivated me enough to get them up to this point in time. And yet, I haven't been able to quite close the door on such a possibility because of whatever initial spark of interest they had still leaves a shadow in my memory that I keep them in mind when making a list like this.

[Khushrenada]

So, what is the point of this whole list? Well, it is the fact that the community and users here do have some influence on me and I find that different perspective helpful as well in considering what games I might seek out. For instance, Moon is a title I have in my Intrigued But Undecided section. It's there because pokepal148 started making such a big deal about it on Discord that I looked it up and checked it out yet. What I saw sparked my interest some more on the title. Yet, I'm not sure my tastes always line up with pokepal's. However, if other users here also have some favorable things to say or can give some reasons as to why it's worth playing then that may decide the matter for me as to whether it would go up my list to perhaps Likely To Buy (or maybe even Most Wanted if the pitch is good enough) or perhaps off the list altogether if there are negative reasons given as to why it should be skipped or avoided. Perhaps even games in the higher slots will drop down or come off altogether depending on how others feel.

Basically, if you've got some perspective on titles listed here and want to share it, I'd love to hear it and get more insight from those who may have played it or made some decision about whether they would or wouldn't get these games as well. And while I mentioned ignoring what's not on here, if you do want to throw out the names or titles of some games you really liked and want to recommend then go ahead. I'll still hear your unsolicited opinion anyways.    Or if you have a list of your own regarding some titles you've been on the fence about then here's a thread to post them and see what others have to say as well.

[pokepal148]

Definitely get Moon. It's incredible. I review it for The Thirsty Mage and came incredibly close to giving ot a 10. It just clicked so well with me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FClNYk5Pbdw&

Stardew Valley is really good also. I recommend it on PC because of mod support but that game is just a really good farm simulation game.

Bug Fables hits Gamepass in a few days so I'll probably play it there.

I cannot recommend the Crash N-sane trilogy unless you have some sort of nostalgia for the originals. The Spyro Trilogy on the other hand is really good outside of some incredibly minor issues with the third game which was handled by a different developer.

But Moon and Undertale are incredibly difficult to talk about without spoiling what makes those games special. There's this kind of trend that's existed in gaming pretty much forever of these subversive games that defy or subvert the expectations of a given genre while offering some kind of unique experience that you aren't likely to find anywhere else and I've kind of realized that this is 100% my jam and have started to actively seek them out.

Daemon X Machina just runs poorly on Switch. I can't recommend it unless you're hardcore into mech games or it gets salvaged by the Switch Pro.

[Kairon]

Any Shantae title, even the lesser ones in that franchise, deserve to be at or near the top of your list. It's not just because they're solid games, but also because as mostly level-based 2D action action-platformers with a spiritual home on Handhelds, they're TRULY pick-up-and-play because you get to the gameplay fun so quick, can knock out distinct levels or areas in the game without too much time commitment before putting it down again, and you will make steady progress towards the end which you WILL see because it's not some distant 40-70 hour goal.

I'm not saying they're all 10/10 games by any stretch, but especially when one has a busy life and immense backlogs simple straight-to-gameplay and complete-able games like Shantae actually HELP YOU to play videogames instead of giving you analysis paralysis or making you trudge through a 1 hour tutorial just to saddle you with 40+ hours of game ahead of you before you can cross it off your list.

[Khushrenada]

Yeah, I've wanting to get around to those games for some time after seeing Clex Yoshi and I think Halbred (Zach) giving them a lot of praise and love. Right now, it is like Pokemon games for me. A series I buy and don't play. The first game I bought was 1/2 Genie Hero for the Wii U. I was in an EBGames and there was a used copy special edition available so I grabbed it at that lower price. About a year later, I visited a Toys R Us and they had a single copy of Shantae and the Pirates Curse for 3DS at like half price so I snagged that as well. However, it wasn't until early 2020 that I finally got around to purchasing the original Shantae GBC game on the 3DS VC after starting a thread and getting into those VC offerings in the later half of 2019. I want to go through the series in order.

I see I left off Shantae and the Seven Sirens on this list. It's actually on the Wish List for my eShop account but I missed it here. It would be in the same spot as Risky's Revenge as something I'm likely going to pick up at some point. However, I'd rather get Risky's Revenge first.

I also like games such as Shantae where you can play for a bit and make steady progress. I've been playing Bye-Bye BoxBoy on my 3DS and doing a World a day. I could probably go through more but just doing that I've almost completed the game and still had time for other activities.

[Khushrenada]

I cannot recommend the Crash N-sane trilogy unless you have some sort of nostalgia for the originals. The Spyro Trilogy on the other hand is really good outside of some incredibly minor issues with the third game which was handled by a different developer.

I've got no nostalgia for them but have wanted to try them just to satisfy my younger self's curiosity. While I was happy with the N64 offerings I played, Crash was one of the few PS1 games and series that did get my attention and would have wanted if I had a PS1. But then the whole series seemed to fall into mediocrity and then people even began criticizing the originals as never very good. That may be the case but it is still a bit of gaming history that I'm sort of still open to trying out. Go back to that moment in time when that type of game was enjoyed. However, there is a reason I've got it so low on my wish list and am not worried if I never get around to it because the majority opinion seems to be that only the third game of that trilogy still has some worth in replaying today. (Although some people did prop up the N. Sane Trilogy as a better collection than Mario 3D All-Stars at the time of that game's release because Nintendo didn't remaster or remake the games like N. Sane did.)

Are you familiar with the channel GINX esports TV? I've been getting a free preview of it through my cable subscription over the past couple weeks. On the whole, it's a worthless channel if you aren't interested in esports and watching people play League of Legends or Fortnite for example. However, there is one show I saw that caught my eye as I was looking at the channel's offerings called Origins. It's sort of a documentary style program that sort of traces what led to the development of a game, its reception and effect and current impact or status. I watched a few episodes that were about PUBG, Fortnite, and Wii Sports. I learned quite a bit on some of these titles and I highly recommend the Wii Sports one as it really explored what made it one of the biggest impacts in gaming without stuff like Wiimotes smashing TV or the hardcore vs casual debate that erupted during the Wii years as many in the industry tried to fight its success. Gave me new appreciation for a game I wasn't all that into back when it did first come out. Anyways, last night, the show did an episode on the Spyro series which is a series I've never paid much attention to. By the end of it, I was considering adding the Spyro Remastered Trilogy to this wishlist. However, I think you are wrong about a different developer for the third game. From the program I watched last night, Insomniac Games developed the first three games. They left their partnership with Universal after the third game was finished to go on their own but Universal kept the rights for Spyro and then began hiring other developers to make further games with the property.

When Toys For Bob worked on the Remastered Trilogy, they got in contact with Insomniac Games and sort of worked with them to get their approval and make sure they were happy with the product which Insomniac appreciated and did give their approval for the product because of that. From everything I saw, the original three games were all done by the same development team at Insomniac.

[nickmitch]

The Famicom Detective Club games are good too, and also very short. I beat one in only a few hours and I think James said on the podcast they were like 8 hours long. I’m partway through the second one, and they’re both neat little stories that I think are enjoyable. However, the biggest thing for me was that they scratched the Ace Attorney itch for me since it’s been so long since I played one of those. But if you get The Great Ace Attorney when it comes out, it could satiate that need for you.

For Fitness Boxing, I would recommend the sequel over the original because of the slight changes they made. You're not gonna miss anything from not playing the first game unless the song list is that important to you. Also, the demos are pretty ok. The initial workouts are not too intense, and that's what you get in the demo. So it doesn't give a full picture of what you can expect from the full game.

[Kairon]

Low Concern
Starlink

Do you already have a copy of Starlink for the Switch? Because...uh...I got some spares...

[Khushrenada]

Heh heh heh, I'm sure you do. No, I don't have a copy. I could get a physical copy for cheap as well but I've never bothered because I soon became aware after it released that the smart and more cost efficient way to acquire the game would be the Digital Deluxe edition. As such, I've never been interested in getting the physical copy.

[Khushrenada]

The Famicom Detective Club games are good too, and also very short. I beat one in only a few hours and I think James said on the podcast they were like 8 hours long. I’m partway through the second one, and they’re both neat little stories that I think are enjoyable. However, the biggest thing for me was that they scratched the Ace Attorney itch for me since it’s been so long since I played one of those. But if you get The Great Ace Attorney when it comes out, it could satiate that need for you.

For Fitness Boxing, I would recommend the sequel over the original because of the slight changes they made. You're not gonna miss anything from not playing the first game unless the song list is that important to you. Also, the demos are pretty ok. The initial workouts are not too intense, and that's what you get in the demo. So it doesn't give a full picture of what you can expect from the full game.

Good advice. I'll keep the 2nd one in mind then. Never thought about the songs with the game so I'll have to see if that would make any difference.

I'm probably not going to acquire the Ace Attorney game when it comes out because Capcom will eventually put those things on sale for 50% - 60% if one goes by their past history of the AA games on 3DS and now eShop. That said, I'd be more willing to pay full price for that package then Nintendo's Famicom Detective Club offerings. The Great Ace Attorney is two full AA games and those things can take hours and hours based on how AA5 and AA6 went being sold at $50.00 CDN. Meanwhile, Nintendo is offering both FDC games at $80 and from everything I've been seeing on them, they don't take that long to complete or aren't very long. My guess is that one could probably go through both FDC games before they'd complete one of the Ace Attorney games. I don't normally care that much about what level a publisher sets the price of their game but this is one of the few instances where I feel Nintendo has way overvalued the worth of the product and is probably sabotaging the amount of sales this could be getting. I have to think at some point there will be some a further drop in price or sale on the titles but will people be as interested in the games as they may have been when they were first released and with better options available? Nintendo doesn't seem to want to do much of a sale beyond 30% but this is one case where I think they should think about going down to 50%. We'll see who wins out in this battle for a sale.

I also think it's hard for games to scratch the Ace Attorney itch well. I've played a couple things like A Case of Distrust and Murder By Numbers and other visual novel mysteries just don't seem to get the job done. That push and pull of questioning people and looking for the lies or new questions that come from testimony just hits a real sweet spot and sometimes you are as much in the dark as the attorney trying to figure out what it all amounts to. I haven't found anything yet that comes close.

[Khushrenada]

Bug Fables hits Gamepass in a few days so I'll probably play it there.

If you do get into then I look forward to your thoughts on it. My hesitation with it is that, while I know it is based on the Paper Mario RPG style with the flat characters and battle system, I don't see anything to suggest the humor those games have. It looks more serious but that also makes it look a bit more dull especially when I haven't seen anything in the screenshots or trailer that wowed me with the areas you seem to travel and explore in.

[nickmitch]

If other games aren't scratching the itch, then FDC won't either. And yeah, if game length is a big factor then you might want to steer clear until a deal shows up. I think the price has the voice acting budget caked in, but it's really not valuable for someone who doesn't speak Japanese.

[Order.RSS]

Wowzers, that's a long list. What makes Sonic Forces interesting to you? I got the impression it was a deeply sub-par game, even amongst the spotty 3D Sonic games catalogue. Seems like the upcoming Sonic Colors Ultimate is a lot more liked.

Things I have thoughts on:

The Touryst
Daemon X Machina
Final Fantasy 8
Final Fantasy 9
Monster Hunter Stories 2
Baba is You
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Moon (PS1 RPG)
Bravely Default 2
Undertale
Balan Wonderworld

So, a bunch of these have demos, which would be an obvious starting point. Goes for Monster Hunter Stories 2, Bravely Default 2, The Touryst, Daemon X Machina, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and possibly Balan Wonderland too if they didn't remove it.
Also amusing you're interested in both Fall Guys and Party Animals, when both seem near-identical.

Regarding the Final Fantasies, the Switch ports include a lot of speed-ups which are sorely needed. I think both are interesting games, with 9 being the safer but also vastly better of the two. Based on your interest in classic film, I'm going to assume you likely have a fondness for stage plays too, and FF9 is cribbing a lot from Shakespeare.
I've complained about FF8 before, and while I do prefer that game's setting and general design, it's really messy. The story is a convoluted pile of twists, its mechanics are deeply opaque, and the most fun way to play genuinely appears to be to utterly break the game by eliminating combat ASAP and never leveling your characters up at all. Bookmark a good GameFAQ if you proceed.

One I would strike from the list: Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity is just not a very good game. It wears the skin of BOTW, but its story is not at all what the marketing promises, the gameplay gets very dull very quick, and the one interesting idea it introduces (playable Divine Beasts) almost feels like the creators fundamentally misunderstood what they are meant to represent.
I bought this on the back of loving BOTW, and left feeling like I should've just watched all the (admittedly well done) cut-scenes on Youtube. This has no reason to exist besides money, I would sooner replay Mario Tennis Ultra Smash or NSMBU than this.

The pairing of Moon and Undertale feels very natural. Just keep in mind how truly small the scope of Undertale is. Its reputation casts such a wide shadow you may think "wait, is this all?" Even Earthbound seems like it has grander ambitions.

For instance, Baba Is You is a game that seems to have been highly praised. It got a 9/10 here. I even saw some video of some type of game awards or recognition being done in Japan where Sakurai was the presenter and he talked about and praised the game. The problem is when I see images of the game, it just looks dull, low budget and almost too abstract or stark for its visuals and world. That element is stronger or at least counters the knowledge I have of the critical reception that leaves me undecided on it.

Haven't tried this either for similar reasons. I'm also expecting this to be the type of game I'm not smart enough for. It's possible a lot of its praise might stem from being quite different, and presenting a new way to play with the form. I hope to try it one day.

[Khushrenada]

Wowzers, that's a long list. What makes Sonic Forces interesting to you? I got the impression it was a deeply sub-par game, even amongst the spotty 3D Sonic games catalogue. Seems like the upcoming Sonic Colors Ultimate is a lot more liked.

When it comes to me and Sonic games, Brokeback Mountain put it best with its line of “I wish I knew how to quit you.�

During the GameCube era was when I had my real exposure to Sonic. I had played the first game briefly here and there when at a friend’s house and another friend had a Game Gear and I completed that version of Sonic the Hedgehog over a few visits. But with the GameCube is when I finally purchased and played Sonic games of my own. I got all the A ranks in Sonic Adventure 2, all the A ranks in Sonic Adventure DX, I played through and almost completed all of Sonic Heroes. I know the games are wonky and mediocre at times. And yet, and yet, and yet….. somehow the games find ways to overcome those flaws and I find myself really liking or enjoying stuff in them. Despite the sometimes cheesy attempts of making Sonic a cool and rad dude, somehow Sega still does deliver moments that work.

Earlier the topic of Crash Bandicoot’s slid into mediocrity was brought up. Despite Sonic’s slide into it, he still remains a top popular mascot thanks to the other media iterations of the character and the games still sell. I think the difference is that despite various elements that people can complain about or point out as flawed in these games, there are still parts that are enjoyed or do come together. There’s just a different weird flavor to Sonic, and by extension Sega, games that you don’t get anywhere else. Even though the attitude and design of the games may hit as much as it also misses the mark, it has been successful enough to somehow keep me coming back for more.

I also keep buying them too because they often end up quite cheap which is now the case with Sonic Forces. For $10 - $15 bucks, I don’t really feel like it’s any big expense to buy these games. And with Sonic Forces, you can design your own character and thus allowing you to dip your toe in the world of furries and see what that’s all about.

[Khushrenada]

So, a bunch of these have demos, which would be an obvious starting point. Goes for Monster Hunter Stories 2, Bravely Default 2, The Touryst, Daemon X Machina, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and possibly Balan Wonderland too if they didn't remove it.

Alright. Let’s talk demos. This could probably be a topic of its own. I don’t bother with them. Even in the past when going to a store with a demo kiosk where you could play a bit of a game, I rarely took advantage of that. (A big reason being I didn't trust the cleanliness of a lot of the controls from all the kids that would have been touching it.) I can think of about 6 times that I do recall using a kiosk at a store over a 20 year period and half of that is because I was bored and waiting around at the store. With the 3DS, I have downloaded four demos. Those are the only demos I’ve ever downloaded off the eShop or WiiWare to this date. The titles are Theatrhythym Final Fantasy, Rhythm Thief, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and Kirby’s Epic Yarn. Captain Toad and Kirby I just downloaded to see what the 3D effect looked like. Theatrhythm seemed alright but I had no affinity for the songs having never played a Final Fantasy game. I ended up buying the Curtain Call sequel because of a good sale price on it but have yet to open it out of the plastic. Rhythm Thief is probably the most successful demo I’ve played because, of the three Rhythm games on it, I loved the second one and it sold me on the game. It’s still one of my favorite games for the 3DS. I think I’d have ended up getting around to buying the game anyways without the demo as I was already kind of sold on it at the time it was coming out but playing that demo put it into a Must Buy category for me.

My hang-up with demos are that I don’t like the nature of getting into a game only for it to end. Obviously, the goal is to make the player want to play more now and buy the game to do so. However, if I’m going to start getting into a game and learning it, I’d rather just do it when I have the game and plan to play it all through. It’s like watching a few early scenes from a movie to decide if you are going to watch it. Why bother doing that when you could just start watching the movie? After awhile, you’ll be able to tell if you want to keep watching it or not anyways. The trailer is usually enough to tell me about and sell me on a game and if I still don’t get it then there’s lots of Youtube videos of people playing the game where I can watch a bit of it and see it in action that way. (It’s probably why Starlink is near the bottom of my list. I watched some of it in action but it just looked rather boring as the ships were just blowing up some plain looking buildings. When it comes to aerial combat, the Rogue Squadron games are my jam and a game needs to look comparable to that for me to seriously want it and I just haven't seen that from Starlink.)

Moreover, a demo of the early start of the game can still be misleading. It's just like watching a couple opening scenes from a movie can be misleading. You may think it is going to be a certain type of genre or story but end up being something else altogether. It doesn't necessarily give you the whole picture of the later elements of the game or the overall quality of it. Even though some demos advertise that you can transfer the data you create from the demo to the actual game when it becomes available or you purchase it, I don't really care about that since I'd rather just get the game and start it then rather then go through that rigmarole. The idea of playing a bunch of beginnings but not really getting anywhere for an incomplete picture just seems pointless especially since beginnings are usually pretty basic stuff.

Is this just me? Am I just an old ornery obstinate guy when it comes to my opinion on demos?

[Khushrenada]

One I would strike from the list: Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity is just not a very good game. It wears the skin of BOTW, but its story is not at all what the marketing promises, the gameplay gets very dull very quick, and the one interesting idea it introduces (playable Divine Beasts) almost feels like the creators fundamentally misunderstood what they are meant to represent.
I bought this on the back of loving BOTW, and left feeling like I should've just watched all the (admittedly well done) cut-scenes on Youtube. This has no reason to exist besides money,

I know when it came out there was a lot of disappointment that the story ended up being some other time travel hijinks rather than a story depicting the actual fall of the Champions and heroes of Hyrule. Hearing that sort of caused me to be more wary of the title but these games seem to exist solely for the purpose of beating up large groups of enemies with powerful yet often silly moves. I liken it something like Gundam Wing where the powerful Gundam mobile suits will take out 100s of regular mobile suits. There can be some fun in that.

However, I did list the game in the Intrigued But Undecided portion as I felt my possible purchase of it would depend more on my getting around to playing more of the first Hyrule Warriors on Wii U. I started it up one evening because my cousin had played some of the Dynasty Warrior games and liked Zelda and wanted to see what the game was like. It was an ok experience. It didn't grip me in that I kept playing it. It also felt kind of simple or easy. Yet, bashing up a large group of enemies was a kind of satisfying so I didn't regret my time sampling it. I've thought about returning to it a few times but keep putting it off and selecting other games to play instead.

If I do get around to playing it and find I'm getting bored as it goes on or just not loving it then I'll likely end up crossing Age of Calamity off this list. However, I'll admit that I'd actually already forgotten this game existed until E3 which illustrates to me how quickly it fell out of the gaming conversation and clearly didn't capture my imagination that much. With your additional criticism of it, I'm thinking I'll move this into that bottom section now. Hyrule Warriors will really have to make an impact for me to keep it on the list.

I would sooner replay Mario Tennis Ultra Smash

That's just YIKES! You come to bury Age of Calamity, not to praise it.

[Luigi Dude]

However, I did list the game in the Intrigued But Undecided portion as I felt my possible purchase of it would depend more on my getting around to playing more of the first Hyrule Warriors on Wii U. I started it up one evening because my cousin had played some of the Dynasty Warrior games and liked Zelda and wanted to see what the game was like. It was an ok experience. It didn't grip me in that I kept playing it. It also felt kind of simple or easy. Yet, bashing up a large group of enemies was a kind of satisfying so I didn't regret my time sampling it. I've thought about returning to it a few times but keep putting it off and selecting other games to play instead.

If I do get around to playing it and find I'm getting bored as it goes on or just not loving it then I'll likely end up crossing Age of Calamity off this list. However, I'll admit that I'd actually already forgotten this game existed until E3 which illustrates to me how quickly it fell out of the gaming conversation and clearly didn't capture my imagination that much. With your additional criticism of it, I'm thinking I'll move this into that bottom section now. Hyrule Warriors will really have to make an impact for me to keep it on the list.

I would say Age of Calamity is a much better game then Hyrule Warriors.  Age of Calamity does a better job of changing up the gameplay thanks to the rune abilities and has a better variety of boss fights.  It's also a faster paced game since most levels revolve around just finding and killing bosses so you don't need to spend longer periods of time killing fodder as often as Hyrule Warriors required.  The original Hyrule Warriors lasted about 30 hours before I put it down while Age of Calamity held my interest for over 50 hours.  So even if Hyrule Warriors doesn't impress you, Age of Calamity might still be worth a look since it does improve on Hyrule Warriors flaws.

[Order.RSS]

Alright. Let’s talk demos. This could probably be a topic of its own. I don’t bother with them.

My hang-up with demos are that I don’t like the nature of getting into a game only for it to end. Obviously, the goal is to make the player want to play more now and buy the game to do so. However, if I’m going to start getting into a game and learning it, I’d rather just do it when I have the game and plan to play it all through.

Moreover, a demo of the early start of the game can still be misleading.

Is this just me? Am I just an old ornery obstinate guy when it comes to my opinion on demos?

Don't think this attitude is that uncommon. By now your tastes have probably become fairly clear to yourself, and you'll know from a variation of trailer/familiarity/reviews whether something will be up your alley.

I like demos, but mostly for things I'm on the fence about. Ironically the Age of Calamity demo convinced me to buy the game, for instance. Same with Pokkén Tournament, the new R-Type, and Radiant Historia. Other games I'm on the fence about and plan to try demos of before committing: Dragon Quest 11, Disaster Report 4, and Game Builder Garage.

When it comes to projects like Metroid Dread, I don't need a demo. I've seen enough of that game with just the trailer, have played the previous entry... I'm confident this'll be good.

There's an older article I remember which suggested releasing demos could actually hurt sales, because fence sitters like me may try one and bounce off, rather than buy it and be disappointed. I'm not sure if this trend truly exists, and if does, whether it still holds true.
I know demos take a lot of work and need to go through QA/testing, so I understand studios preferring to dedicate those resources to actual products. But as a selfish consumer I like to try them.

[pokepal148]

The Switch version of Hyrule Warriors is really heavily refined, especially in terms of the Adventure Mode maps not being the grindy nightmare they were in the original.

[TOPHATANT123]

I recommend Daemon X Machina. The main gameplay of flying around in a mech blowing stuff up is fun. My biggest criticism would be the story, made no sense whatsoever. It felt like it was written by aliens or a 5th dimensional being or something.

The Stretchers is a fun co-op game, although not as brilliant as something like Overcooked or Heave Ho. Mid tier co-op.

Baba is You I would advise caution. Incredible concept but gets difficult really quickly. I wasn't able to get too far into it.

You can also skip Sonic Forces. I'm no stranger to mediocre Sonic games, but this one is below mediocre. Stages are over in less than a minute, aren't fun to begin with, and then are padded out with repetitive challenges. Wasn't an enjoyable experience.

[M.K.Ultra]

I will throw a recommendation out there for Ring Fit Adventure. If it was not already obvious this is a fitness program as opposed to a video game. I think of it like watching a workout video and following along. If you like doing indoor workouts along with the TV, then this is a great one. The pilates ring is well made and the workouts are very balanced. The workouts can be modified to be slow paced or high intensity. I try to do the latter to be more efficient with time. I have fallen off since the weather is nice now and I prefer to run outside, but Ring Fit got me through those cold winter months without gaining too much weight. I also picked it up for $60 but think it is worth the MSRP.

[Khushrenada]

I see Octodad is on sale this week. It's way low on my priority list but I don't see it go on sale that often. Back in the Wii U days, it got an 8.5 and pretty positive review. But is that because of Wii U game scarcity or is it still worth playing? Anyone else ever get into this game?

[Order.RSS]

I see Octodad is on sale this week. It's way low on my priority list but I don't see it go on sale that often. Back in the Wii U days, it got an 8.5 and pretty positive review. But is that because of Wii U game scarcity or is it still worth playing? Anyone else ever get into this game?

It's quite funny, provided you can find humor in slapstick scenarios and games with purposefully difficult controls like QWOP or Getting Over It. Sometimes you just won't be able to do the one thing you need to progress, and need to retry it a bunch of times.
The game definitely shows its student project origins though: the first few levels are fairly short, bite-sized scenarios. Then you travel to what amounts to a new hub area with three levels linked to it. I remember being confused and thinking the whole thing was one giant stage, and it took forever. Weirdly it's back to levels after that too.

Another potential issue: I had most fun playing Octodad in couch co-op, where you'd assign one or more limbs to every player. Ideally nobody controls both arms or legs to make it more difficult. This works well for most of the game, but towards the end it does start making modest demands of the players and tries to string a story together. I wonder if those levels are still fun with multiple people.

Honestly, the best levels are the first few (wedding, home bbq, grocery store) and then the optional extra ones where Octodad serves as either waiter or surgeon. I think the game could've been stronger with an episodic setting where you'd get a new job every level. It works much better in short sessions, rather than playing 3 levels back to back to reach the end of the story.
There's also some technical jank in the version I played, with voice lines not triggering and such. Nothing important, and maybe it's better on Switch?

Overall a pretty decent comedy game, but a lot of your enjoyment will hinge on whether you think the central premise is at least amusing. I'd recommend it, but I do wonder if the past 6+ years have eroded some of the familiarity underpinning its foundation.
The family is already something of a send-up of 1950s Americana, with their white picket fence and family trip to the museum, which might just feels ancient at this point, depending on your tolerance for comedy tropes.

[Khushrenada]

Well, I guess I'll check it out then. Hopefully it can still amuse. Comedy games are kind of hard to come by. Thinking about it, Untitled Goose Game may be the last game I played that was kind of more a comedy game.