Topic: Switch Discussion Thread (Year 3: But where are the folders??!?!)

[NWR_insanolord]

Yes, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is Puyo Puyo, as was Kirby's Avalanche for SNES.

[Order.RSS]

I have never played Puyo Puyo before, but after seeing that trailer, it seems to be the same as Mean Bean Machine, which I played recently on Sonic Mega Collection. Maybe I will like it then.
I already love Tetris, so having two games in one could make it more interesting.

Update: I just ordered Puyo Pop on ebay for my N-Gage. It was cheap and it will be here before Puyo Puyo Tetris, so it will be a good chance to try a game in the same series first.
<3 N-Gage.

Believe it or not, I knew no less than 2 people with an N-Gage. The original models too, where you had to remove the battery if you wanted to change gamecarts and hold it like a taco if you wanted to make phonecalls. The Tomb Raider game on it looked pretty crap imo, but I wanna say there was an Elder Scrolls on it or something similar? That one really impressed me, since my Nokia 3310 just had a version of Snake.

[ShyGuy]

Sumo Digital talks about porting Snake Pass to Switch and show off some Switch footage. It took about a 7 days to get the game up and running on the Switch. Snake Pass uses Unreal Engine and they say that Nintendo and Unreal are working closely together

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/120840159

[Lemonade]

Not sure if I like the look of Snake Pass. I need to know more about the game structure and what youre supposed to do. The Switch talk was interesting though.

The original models too, where you had to remove the battery if you wanted to change gamecarts and hold it like a taco if you wanted to make phonecalls. The Tomb Raider game on it looked pretty crap imo, but I wanna say there was an Elder Scrolls on it or something similar?

I have a QD model, which is much better. Tomb Raider was great. I played it all the way through in 2015 when I got the N-Gage and it was my first TR game. It really got me into the series and I have played about 6 more games in the series since then.
Elderscrolls Travels Shadowkey is one of the games I really want, even though I hear its not very good. It goes for over $100 on ebay, so I havent bought it just yet.
Puyo Pop will be my 12th game for it and definitely not my last.

Sorry for being off topic, I know that bothers some people.

[BranDonk Kong]

Unreal is the engine...Epic Games makes it. So Nintendo would be working with Epic Games. Unreal Tournament 2003 for Wii U confirmed.

[Soren]

Unreal is the engine...Epic Games makes it. So Nintendo would be working with Epic Games. Unreal Tournament 2003 for Wii U confirmed.

This whole post is pure uncut vintage SEO trolling. I love it.

[Fatty The Hutt]

This is interesting:
A so-called "definitive list" of upcoming Switch games

Seems like a lot of games. And I know the Switch is technically regin free but it seems like some of those games on the list might be "Japan only". That is, they'd be hard to play if you didn't read Japanese. And you'd have to import them, they presumably wouldn't be generally available locally (NA/Europe).

[nickmitch]

Retro Studio not bringing anything to the Switch confirmed.  Nintendo is doomed.

[Evan_B]

I'm assuming, with the rumored ARMS release date in May, that Nintendo wants to have one of their own titles out every month in the first quarter of the launch year. Which puts us at:

March- Zelda
April- Mario Kart 8
May- ARMS
June- Splatoon 2
July- ?
August- ?
September- ?
October- Maybe Pokemon?
November- Super Mario Odyssey
December- Maybe Xenoblade 2?

There's a big chunk in the middle there where they could port over Smash Bros. or something else that's quick and easy. I would assume they would do something like that, as even if, in their words, "Games don't sell in the summer," they should take the time to buff out the library when they can.

[Soren]

There's a big chunk in the middle there where they could port over Smash Bros. or something else that's quick and easy. I would assume they would do something like that, as even if, in their words, "Games don't sell in the summer," they should take the time to buff out the library when they can.

God I hope not. I actually want to play new games on the Switch.

In other news, looks at this beautiful ass game that's coming to the Switch got-damn...

[Lemonade]

This is interesting:
A so-called "definitive list" of upcoming Switch games

"definitive" indeed. Monochrono was missing, so I assume others must be too.

[Khushrenada]

I'm just super jacked for Unannounced Title 2 which will be releasing along with the original Unannounced Title 1 which was a great game for those who played it. I know a lot of "fans" are upset that Unannounced Title 2 is now going to be an exclusive for the Switch when Unannounced Title 1 didn't even release on the Wii U before but I think it's great and will hopefully sway other gamers to now buy a Switch to play it.

[BranDonk Kong]

I wonder if Unannounced Title 2 will be an actual direct sequel, or if will be a weird shoe-in like the US Super Mario Bros. 2 was.

[Sarail]

I wonder if Unannounced Title 2 will be an actual direct sequel, or if will be a weird shoe-in like the US Super Mario Bros. 2 was.

:/

I still long for a Doki Doki Panic sequel starring the Mario crowd once more.

[Order.RSS]

How likely is it truly that Xenoblade 2 will make a 2017 worldwide release? Even if they do a repeat of Chronicles X, which launched so late in december it was practically the new year already, it seems awful quick no?
What's the dev time on it, Xenoblade X released in April 2015 in Japan, so assuming the December western launch was purely because of localisation, that's still 2.5 years at most if they got started right away.

Maybe I'm overestimating how long it takes to develop these giant HD games, and I suppose Nintendo are adamant about releasing a couple of blockbuster titles in the first year, but I'm skeptical of this timeframe for now.

[Evan_B]

There's a couple ways Xenoblade could release in 2017. I highly doubt it will, and I think it's probably getting bumped to 2018, but Nintendo had the chance to mention it was slated for 2018 and they didn't.

XC2 is obviously running on the XCX engine, which was likely a huge part of developing XCX. Monolith did mention that the side quests for XCX took about a full year to develop, but since that was the basis for the entire game, a narrative-focused title might take less time, especially now that they have an engine and know what the type of game they are making.

[Spak-Spang]

I'm assuming, with the rumored ARMS release date in May, that Nintendo wants to have one of their own titles out every month in the first quarter of the launch year. Which puts us at:

March- Zelda
April- Mario Kart 8
May- ARMS
June- Splatoon 2
July- ?
August- ?
September- ?
October- Maybe Pokemon?
November- Super Mario Odyssey
December- Maybe Xenoblade 2?

There's a big chunk in the middle there where they could port over Smash Bros. or something else that's quick and easy. I would assume they would do something like that, as even if, in their words, "Games don't sell in the summer," they should take the time to buff out the library when they can.

This is interesting.  I know nobody wants a drought for year 2.  But if Nintendo pulled off the impossible and had a game a month release from Nintendo for the first year it would help calm the fears of a Nintendo drought.  Even ports from the Wii U could be good, if they added some interesting bonuses. 

I could see Nintendo releasing a Super Mario Maker Switch or Legend of Zelda Dungeon maker Switch.  (Actually this could be very cool.  Nintendo could make an overworld map much like the original Zelda or Link to the Past and then the dungeons are all created by fans. 

Smash Bros. Switch should happen, just adding all DLC and perhaps a few classic stages or a new character or a new mode would make it worth it.  I would love Race to the Finish added again, with online players fighting and helping each other it could be cool.

[ThePerm]

Well when Nintendo dries off 3ds all of that support is going to move onto the Switch. The Switch is still getting regular console support like a previous system, but I suspect volume should increase once Nintendo gets more focused.

[MagicCow64]

One of the things I'm curious about is how Nintendo is going to position the wave of Switch games that would have otherwise been "3DS sized". They can't lean on low-resolutions to present "premium" handheld experiences with lesser assets, so they're going to have to figure out how to present lower-budget titles alongside titles like Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild. I feel like like lower-priced WiiU titles such as Kirby's Magic Rainbow Ride or Captain Toad isn't quite the same thing, as those were concept games.

So a sub-brand spur? Budget line? New approach to art styles for "full" games like Kid Icarus? The rumored Pokemon Stars will be an interesting test case.

[ThePerm]

It's possible to make smaller scale games. That doesn't mean they have to look bad. Look at the very best indy output that is on xbox one or ps4. That is what you should expect from Nintendo. We'll get more games, but not all will be Zelda BOTW sized.

I don't expect games like New Super Mario Bros, or Mario 3d land style games to disappear. Unless Nintendo just makes those games on phones. Which would defeat the point of consolidating.

[nickmitch]

Plus, you have games like Pokemon that are using some pretty high resolution assets already.

Games like Domo Ari-Kirby Mr. Robobobobo can just be made prettier.

[MagicCow64]

It's possible to make smaller scale games. That doesn't mean they have to look bad. Look at the very best indy output that is on xbox one or ps4. That is what you should expect from Nintendo. We'll get more games, but not all will be Zelda BOTW sized.

I don't expect games like New Super Mario Bros, or Mario 3d land style games to disappear. Unless Nintendo just makes those games on phones. Which would defeat the point of consolidating.

I'm thinking more specifically 3D games, which ain't exactly indies' forte just yet. Again, looking at Kid Icarus Uprising, I kinda doubt that game would've flown as a WiiU title. Making that at full resolution by itself would significantly up the budget for asset creation, I would think, and change the spec of the game. I'm mainly just curious to see how the dev teams adapt their design priorities, or if there'll be a bifurcation between physical releases and eShop releases, how pricing will be affected, etc. Like, is a Pokemon Stars 3DS up-port going to sit at $50 next to a $60 Mario release? Is a $40 A Link Between Worlds 2 going to sit next to $60 Breath of the Wild?

Nintendo's gotta finesse consumer expectations on this one, part of the challenge and opportunity of the hybrid platform. Folks like us on a message board know how to parse this stuff, but if they want to break out of the 15-30 million consumer base that they've been stuck with outside of the Wii and handheld lines, they've gotta communicate simply and coherently to Average Target Shopper. I guess you could look at Japanese output split between PS4/PS4/Vita, but I imagine Nintendo isn't eager to associate itself with the weird AA Otaku ecosystem.

[Evan_B]

These are all problems I addressed in the past, but again, no one seemed to bother with a proper answer.

...well, okay, that's not entirely true. We've talked a fainbit about how Wii I titles were variably priced from 40 to 60 dollars, I would think that Nintendo would be smart enough to continue that trend.

[Lemonade]

I would be perfectly ok with smaller, cheaper, 3DS like games on Switch, even if they didnt take full advantage of the graphical power.

[nickmitch]

I think the variation in game price points might be a good thing for the Switch.  It would be a good indicator of what kind of content you'd expect (in terms of length and graphical prowess), while keeping cheaper titles from looking like they have less worth.  Like, a $30 box retail game next to $60 titles makes the $30 title look either like a) a bargain or b) crap.  Yes, there's some room in the middle, but the newer a title is, being at a cheaper price can hurt perception.

With Switch, we should see "full price" games ($60, Wii U; $40 3DS), "cheaper" titles ($50; $30), and prices below.  Hell, you can break down the eShop in to $10 tiers.