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Switch is nearing its 6th month of release, come post your thoughts and impressions!

goldenpp72

Member
Games like Shovel Knight and Thumper are great, but they're not exclusive to Switch and they're not the reason why people buy consoles.

I don't blame people for wanting more BoTW types of experiences. Nintendo created that expectation when they launched with it. Six months later, almost everyone has finished and they're itching for more.

While fully a valid point, the selling point is being able to take them on the go. I played Thumper in VR on PS4 the other day and it was pretty neat, but being able to play it on the go exceeds that for me personally. Obviously, if you never use public transit, can't use it at work or whatever, it definitely makes sense.

That's kind of the point though, it has utility for those who can use it, if it's just another console you keep tethered to the TV I can definitely see the loss of appeal. Basically for someone like me, if Sonic Mania exist on 4 platforms, i'll always prefer to get it on the one I can use both at home and on the go, especially when no compromise is made in the process.
 
I'll be honest, I didn't get the system's appeal when the leaks started rolling in last year, hell I even made a speculation thread where I said "It wont be a fucking hybrid" but I'm happy I was wrong. I really underestimated the power you could get from mobile hardware in 2016/2017 and I was ignorant of a lot of the advancements made in display connectivity. I think this really is the best strategy for Nintendo going forward and I hope they stick with it in coming generations. They really managed to carve out a new place in the market where no one else sat again.
 
I will grow tired of its short comings eventually. Having to pay extra for a d-pad, requiring my phone for voice chat.. this looming $20 annual fee. Presumably I will need a micro SD card at some point also.

It's cool but I can see myself selling it in the time between Mario Odyssey and the launch of the online service. I just feel like Smash or Animal Crossing is going to be held to ransom behind that fee and it just makes me resent Nintendo.

If the system had free online and voice chat built in I'd be way more positive about the long term appeal of the system.
 

Trago

Member
I've had mine since May 1st. The basic feeling for me is that I'm always busting this thing out during down time while I'm at home and while I'm out and about. I play it on the train to and from work, at work in the break room, and at home.

Luckily, about six other people at work have one, nearly every day we all play Mario Kart 8, or Splatoon 2 together. When seven people are all playing the same game at one table it's a crazy fun experience! It's my favorite thing about the system.

I play in handheld mode 95% of the time. I'm not against playing on the dock, but I play this thing in short bursts throughout the day and hardly have a reason to use the dock. Maybe if I were playing more single player games, this would change.

I've been open to the possibility of playing certain games on Switch that I would normally rather play on PC. It's weird, but I find myself wanting most indie games to come to Switch. Sonic Mania, Kamiko, Fast RMX, Snake Pass, and other games are just too perfect on the go! Like, I'm really into the PC platform for AAA games, but I do sometimes wonder how nice it would be to play many of these games wherever I want. Not too sure how I'd handle graphical sacrifices, but the feeling is still there. I think that's part of the reason third parties are finding success on Switch. It's really fucking cool that I can take the console experience anywhere.

If there are some things I want them to improve, it's the features. The online sucks. Lack of VC sucks, no media apps sucks, lack of a browser sucks. I really need Nintendo to have a feedback/survey website ala Microsoft feedback or something, because they need to be made aware of these concerns. I like the hardware, but the things that are lacking really hold it back.

And first party is first party. We've already got several games from Nintendo in the year that have been fantastic and varied! The first few months of this console already crushes the Wii U's first party launch year lineup by a mile, and we have yet to get Mario or Xenoblade Chronicles 2. And lets not forget that there's lots to look forward to beyond 2017.

Basically, Nintendo have a real winner here in my book. I thought I would primarily play exclusives on this console, but I'm also playing some non-nintendo stuff as well. It's super convenient to bust out the Switch and start gaming wherever I am. Nintendo just needs to patch in better features and the Virtual Console and there's no stopping this thing. I look forward to playing whatever Nintendo and third parties/indies throw at it.
 

LordCanti

Member
The only problem I've had is that I've got the Joycon desync issue and Nintendo told me over the phone that they wouldn't fix it. I've got a pro controller but it's still a little irksome that the controllers it came with don't function unless in handheld mode (or direct line of sight from two/three feet to docked mode).

Very much looking forward to Mario and the Zelda DLC.
 
I will grow tired of its short comings eventually. Having to pay extra for a d-pad, requiring my phone for voice chat.. this looming $20 annual fee. Presumably I will need a micro SD card at some point also.

It's cool but I can see myself selling it in the time between Mario Odyssey and the launch of the online service. I just feel like Smash or Animal Crossing is going to be held to ransom behind that fee and it just makes me resent Nintendo.

If the system had free online and voice chat built in I'd be way more positive about the long term appeal of the system.

I don't think I'll end up selling the console, but I feel some of this. Splatoon's matchmaking system isn't worth $20 - I don't think I'm going to bother paying for it, so the Switch will eventually become a single player game console for me (just like the PS4 - have never had PS+).
 

Scrawnton

Member
The games have been stellar but the UI, patches, and Nintendo's communication on the future of interactions with Switch (VC, multimedia, etc.) has been so poor, even worse than Wii U.

There's no excuse to not have mentioned any of this stuff by now.
 
Love the console. My preferred way to play is unlocked, lying on my back with joycons removed. Laziness is amazing.

Fave games are Disgaia, Zelda and Puyo Puyo.
 
Bought it at launch with Zelda. Played the hell out of Zelda until beating it after about a month. Haven't touched the Switch since. I am looking forward to Super Mario Odyssey quite a bit so that will be fun.
 
Switch Grade: A++

I love this thing. I sold off the TV Dock along with the Joy Con grip it came with and used it soley as a portable. Still waiting for more games that appeal to me to be released but the few I've bought so far has been amazing.

Zelda Breath of the Wild

Grade: A+

Still haven't beaten this because of life and a strong itch to play Pokémon. From what I've did play everything is top notch perhaps my game of the year competing with Horizon and Persona 5. Will come back to this game after all the DLC is released.

Mario Kart Deluxe

Grade: B+

When I need my racing multiplayer fix I play this. I played it heavy when it was released but have cooled on the game. It's a great game and the reason for a sub A is because I'm not 100% into racing games like that. The lack of voice chat via the Nintendo app is head scratching worthy.

Splatoon 2

Grade: A-

I love the music in the multiplayer. Very fun game to play co-op or turf war and the other online modes. Chat is handle so poorly by Nintendo for this game.

Satsuna Sacfrice

Grade: D-

😴

I bought this at full price because I needed a JRPG for my Switch. My lesson is to do less impulse buys and listen to Gaf's criticism alittle more often. Buying this full price made me weary of my future purchases even the ones I know I'll be day one for. But hey, whenever I have trouble falling asleep I put this in and
😴 I played it up to the very end and deleted the game from my Switch at the very end because it was so boring.


Future buys

Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Elder Scrolls Skyrim
Mario Odyssey

Possible future buys

Mario + Rabbids - depends on reviews

Pokken - Pokémon are in it which is the only thing making me consider this

3rd party games that I can't remember off the top of my head. Bring more then the sports games!

Alot of the 2018 games
 

ohlawd

Member
it's pretty cool

need Japanese devs to get on board faster tho. I mean, they are but I'm unreasonable and want them to go even faster. Twista pls
 
I'm happy with it despite only caring about Zelda BOTW thus far. As I use mine infrequently, it's somewhat annoying how the controller batteries drain drastically when not in use. Otherwise, I dunno if I have any problems with it. Folders on the home screen would be nice. Caring about Virtual Console depends if it's the same Wii U situation where I have to repurchase games.
 

Regiruler

Member
I don't know why I have a general impression that games on it are less... consistent? Finished?

No manual built into the API sucks.
 
Love the hardware

Enjoying Zelda, Splatoon and sonic. Personally could use more as far as games go but people are happy. Good on Nintendo.

Looking forward to possibly picking up Xenoblade later this year.
 

Scrawnton

Member
I don't know why I have a general impression that games on it are less... consistent? Finished?

No manual built into the API sucks.
It's obvious a lot of the indie games were pushing for a quick release to capitalize on the craze and left a lot of stuff out that will be patched in later. It's a great analogy to the system itself.
 
Overall experience is good so far, but there is growing concern for 2018 and beyond. Absolutely no updates on VC, the app, media apps, and my personal biggest gripe, the complete lack of game sharing. Granted I doubt they expected anyone to have multiple Switches this soon, but their history with online services does not make me confident that they'll update how console activation/game sharing works.

As far as the device itself, current library and future library, everything is as good as I could realistically hope for. Nintendo just needs to communicate future plans for its services better.
 

Epcott

Member
Great piece of hardware, Zelda was phenomenal and GOTY for me.

Unfortunately, I have no interest in Splatoon and ARMS at the moment (at least, in comparison to other games on my other consoles) so my Switch has sat in hibernation for nearly 2 months. The lack of apps like Hulu, Spotify, Netflix, and VC also hurts. But once Kingdom Battle and Odyssey release, I'll be putting my other 2 consoles to sleep for a while.
 
Gonner is underated. Great little game. I got Sonic Mania also and its a return to form for Sonic. I also have been having a good time playing Splatoon 2. It's a nice system. Very handy. I like it. Would like some bigger third party games though. Getting Revelations 1 & 2 which will be a good start.
 

Fumpster

Member
Luckily, about six other people at work have one, nearly every day we all play Mario Kart 8, or Splatoon 2 together. When seven people are all playing the same game at one table it's a crazy fun experience! It's my favorite thing about the system.

Maybe this is slightly off-topic, but I was wondering how well the local wireless connection worked on your (or anybody's) Switch? Mine works absolutely flawlessly when playing on wifi/wired connection, but when I tried playing local wireless or LAN I kept getting constant disconnects, lag, and "connection unstable" messages. I was also only sitting a meter or two away from the other user, so I don't know whether that's normal or if it's an issue with my own Switch. If anyone could offer advice on this or had a similar experience, please let me know!

--

I personally have been having a great time with my Switch. I love the emphasis on indie games, especially when they get physical copies, and the stuff Nintendo has been pumping out has been top notch so far. I think it's the first gaming hardware aside from handhelds where I just LIKE playing stuff on it. Like the act of playing games on it is enjoyable.
 

jariw

Member
The thing that impressed me the most is that Nintendo now has created a console that is easy to develop for. Even though (apparently) Nintendo gave developers SDKs very late, there is a steady flow of new games, with very few big delays.

...and the speed and the clean design of the OS: It's very quick and easy to start a game and play.

Here are the titles I've played so far and how I would rank them today:

1. Breath of the Wild (BotW was such an amazing experience to play, that it really should have its own ranking system...)

2. Overcooked
3. Splatoon 2
4. Ironcast
5. MK8 DX (would rank higher if I hadn't played the Wii U version so much)
6. Cave Story+
7. Puyo Puyo Tetris
8. Tumbleseed
9. Snipperclips
10. Sonic Mania
11. Graceful Explosion Machine
12. Minecraft
13. Shantae: Half Genie Hero
14. Thumper
15. Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+
16. Strikers 1945
17. ARMS
18. Disgaea 5 Complete
19. Blaster Master Zero
20. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
21. Retro Duel Deluxe
22. VOEZ
23. Fast RMX
24. Snake Pass
25. Death Squared
26. Bubble Boy
27. Wonder Boy: Dragon's Trap
28. Super Bomberman R
29. World of Goo
30. Namco Museum

I have also played some Gunbarich, NBA Playground, Implosion, Flip Wars, Forma.8, Pickle Lines DX - but too little to be able to rank them.
 

I Wanna Be The Guy

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
Zelda BOTW 130 hours or more
Sonic Mania 35 hours or more
Splatoon 2 35 hours or more
Binding of Isaac Afterbirth 25 hours or more
Puyo Puyo Tetris 20 hours or more (also worth noting I put a TON of time in to the demo but that playtime isn't recorded)
Arms 15 hours or more (with global testpunch at 5 hours or more)
Lego City Undercover 15 hours or more
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 15 hours or more
World of Goo 5 hours or more
Fast RMX and Snake pass bored me too quickly to register a playtime

I've got solid value out of my Switch so far.
 
In a few years time I think the Switch might be my favourite console, heck playing it is my favourite thing to do right now.

I have 150+ hours in Breath of the Wild, 90 in Splatoon 2 and 80 in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I have 30 games in total with the majority of them sitting between 5-30 hours played.

It's just such a brilliant machine. It's so cool to chill out on the sofa or lie in bed and just play whatever I'm in the mood for. There's no hassle with the Switch. Indies or killing it too, I did a Top 10 video for indies the other day which consisted of:

10. De Mambo
9. Mighty Gunvolt Burst
8. Kamiko
7. Shovel Knight
6. Thumper
5. FAST RMX
4. Snake Pass
3. Graceful Explosion Machine
2. Slime-San
1. Cave Story+

If you haven't heard of Slime-San then you really need to just buy it now. It's like Super Meat Boy but with more intelligent design and evolving mechanics.

It's a brilliant indie machine and the few first party titles released so far are some of my favourite of the entire generation. The Switch is a really fantastic console. Breath of the Wild might be my favourite game of all time. It's certainly up there.
 
If BotW was the only game on the system i still would have gotten my money's worth. Easily.

For me this is the greatest system of all time. I can't find a flaw that seriously bugs me. If they ever make one with 6-10h of battery life it will be perfect.
 
I love the Switch so far, I think Nintendo doesn't get enough credit for the OS this thing has. It's not perfect and its certainly lacking features but compare it to the Wii U with its slow start up times, install times, and just being slow even when moving between the menus and this OS kicks ass. It starts up instantly, games don't take long to load at all (cartridges or downloads), hell even the Store starts extremely quickly without much trouble.

The system UI itself is also very extremely slick. It's similar to the PS4's UI but less clutter on the screen and is infinitely better then the Xbox One's UI. I know everyone tends to focus on where all the features are at but if Nintendo can output this kind of OS and UI I really think they might have something going forward. The technical end of the Wii and Wii U was certainly one of the things that are sometimes ignored but they were problems that brought those systems down but Nintendo has already started the Switch off in the right way. If the OS can keep its speed when more features start coming to the system then it'll likely end up being my favorite system for its OS and UI.

Also its super easy to make a foreign account if you want to access certain demos and games. I got the Dragon Quest Heroes 1+2 demo like day 1 on the Switch from the Japanese store. The login process is also infinitely easier since you don't need to input any passwords to access it.

The games themselves are pretty great so far. Legend of Zelda is of course spectactular and I really need to sit down and finish it sometime. Mario Kart 8 was good but not enough new content to keep my personal interest for very long (I played a lot of the Wii U game). Disgaea 5 is pretty fun but I just can't seem to get into the series as well as I could in the PS2 days. I think it comes down to just having far to many systems and options thrown at you right from the get go, great for those who like those kind of things but I wish they'd focus less on creating even more crazy systems and put even half of that effort into making an interesting story.

On the DL side I've not put to much time into Shovel Knight but what I have played was fantastic and really works great on the switch, most of my time lately though has been on Sonic Mania which I've found is the exact kind of games I want to play on this system. Yeah sure big budget games portable I'm also hugely into but having a fresh retro experience and being able to play it on my big TV or on the Switch is fantastic and works extremely well for what it is. I'm dying for Square Enix to bring over the Seiken Densetsu collection as I'd have an equally fun time with that (and seriously I want to play Secret of Mana 2 in an official English release already!!) as well as other games.

The Switch is fantastic and certainly has a bright future but I will say... I want more developers to offer some fresh experiences on the system. To many third parties are just giving ports to the system and in general lazy ports with nothing new or maybe throw a few costumes in or something like that, I want more games like Sonic Mania or Seiken Densetsu Collection. Bring us fresh retro experiences like Sonic Mania or give us collections of games like the SDC but bring games we in the west haven't actually played before. I'd love to see a Shining Force Collection with SF 1 and 2 as well as CD and the third Gaiden Game remade in the CD engine. Give me a Final Fantasy Collection with FF4-6 with SNES graphics and music but the extra content from the GBA versions. Give me a Square Enix SNES Collection of games we never actually got in the west like Bahamut Lagoon, Terranimga, Front Mission, ect.

There are so many ways Developers could get some amazing games on the system and give western audiences a chance to experience games we never got back in the day (unless you emulated with patched roms but I think its a fairly small minority that actually did that for many of these games) and the Switch is the perfect system to do it on.

First though... Square Enix needs to freaking bring over the Seiken Densetsu collection to the west!
 

Trago

Member
Maybe this is slightly off-topic, but I was wondering how well the local wireless connection worked on your (or anybody's) Switch? Mine works absolutely flawlessly when playing on wifi/wired connection, but when I tried playing local wireless or LAN I kept getting constant disconnects, lag, and "connection unstable" messages. I was also only sitting a meter or two away from the other user, so I don't know whether that's normal or if it's an issue with my own Switch. If anyone could offer advice on this or had a similar experience, please let me know!

It depends, sometimes it's flawless, but there have been a couple days where one or two of us had connection issues. Happened with Splatoon 2 only. No issues with Mario Kart 8, so I suspect it might be game by game.
 

Peltz

Member
I've really enjoyed Zelda, MK8D, Arms, Splatoon 2, and Sonic Mania so far. Each of those games have been top tier quality for me personally.

ARMS in particular is the standout game and may be the most underrated game of the year in my opinion. So far, Nintendo has nailed the first year and if Xenoblade 2 and SMO live up to their potential, it will be the best first year for any system ever made.
 

Radec

Member
Me and My GF just got into an 8 grand prix betting games on MK8.

Was fun.
3AQmK.gif
 

Red

Member
I really like the Switch but haven't had much fun with anything outside Zelda yet. Haven't played much though.

MK8 is okay. I didn't play it on Wii U, so it all felt new to me. The track selection is good. Character selection is alright, but I wish there weren't so many duplicates. Why aren't the koopalings alt costumes on a single character? I think the game looks great and the music is impressively soaring. Battle mode is too noisy for me—I still think 64 did this best. The cops and robbers mode is fun. I'm not in love with the game. It too often becomes a battle between 1st and 2nd place, where defensive items are doled out too generously for other racers to have a chance to catch up. I don't like the frequency of the lightning pickup. It becomes repetitive and boring very fast. Even playing with others it feels like there is not much variation. The same people tend to place in the same spots over and over again. It all feels unsurprising. My last Mario Kart was on wii, and I do think 8 is quite a bit better—at least, more fleshed out.

I was disappointed with thumper. I like difficult rhythm games, but the visuals here are monotonous and I can't grasp many of the beats. A lot of the time it feels like I am memorizing tracks separately from the songs, like they aren't synchronized well or don't represent each other in a way that makes sense to me rhythmically. I've seen a lot of praise heaped on it in the OT, but it has not clicked with me (up to stage 5). I assume I am missing something.

I've also tried Sonic Mania, which is solid but a little disappointing. I've aired my gripes in the OT, but it boils down to an over-reliance on nostalgia and revisited stages.

I've only tried the demo for puyo puyo Tetris and I thought it was very good, but I don't have enough people to play with locally for it to be worthwhile.

I just tried Use Your Words last night and kept having connection problems, where some players couldn't enter answers, and the game crashed before we could finish a round.

So a mixed bag for me, software side. But Zelda really is worth the entry price on its own. Superlatively brilliant game. Can't praise it enough.
 

LJ11

Member
Love the system, everything I wanted. Expected the online features to disappoint, they did, but I knew that from the jump. Mario Kart and Splatoon are great, especially Splatoon which I can't stop playing.

Disappointed in Zelda to be honest. Love the enormous world, but the game fizzles out after a really strong start. Just not engaging in combat department, so-so dungeons, hard to keep me hooked. Exploring is great but you get bored after a while. That said, I still dumped close to 90 hours into the game. The portability of the console keeps you coming back. Only game I play docked is Splatoon, which is kind of a no go for me in portable mode.

Haven't tried Arms, never looked that appealing. I want Hollow Knight on this thing.
 
Switch is already my favorite console to date but I also think that's because I skipped on the Wii U and many other third party games so things like Mario kart deluxe, Splatoon, Thumper and Shovel knight have blown me away. Zelda is one of the best games I've played, sonic is the best sonic ever, puyo puyo Tetris one of the best puzzle games ever... in less than a year I have an incredible library inside this tiny tablet that I can take anywhere with me and has made all my numerous trips fly by.

And all this when I was super critical of it after the first presentation and super pissed off at its price.
 
For me, it's pretty much usurped the Dreamcast as my favorite console, and it's only going to get better once more RPGs, SHMUPs and Platformers drop.

The ease of local multiplayer has caused me to put a ton of time into the NeoGeo games, NBA Playgrounds, PuyoPuyo Tetris, Mario Kart, Bomberman, Death Squared, Flip Wars, ARMs, Jackbox Party, Overcooked, etc.

Zelda, Splatoon, Has Been Heroes, Binding of Isaac and Disgaea have been my gotos for single player stuff or online play. Can't wait for Pokken and Mario+Rabbids in the next few weeks.

Really hyped for Xenoblade 2, Skyrim and Mario Odyssey this fall/winter as well. My Amazon pre-order list is getting big too. Battle Chasers, Lumo, Sine Mora, Azure Striker Pack are all on there. Glad we're getting some good Musou games, I don't play them much on the TV but they're great for mindless portable play.
 

Sec0nd

Member
I'm always confused when I'm in a store and see a half empty row of Switch games next to a wall of Wii U, Xbox and PS4 games.
 

jmizzal

Member
Great hardware, great 1st party support and indies

Time for more AAA 3rd party games, can see next year being much better

Also time to add apps like Netflix, youtube and others
 

Mediking

Member
I am a bit tired of the port beggars though. I feel like the Switch community on this forum is rather toxic and needs to buy other platforms or something so they stop focusing so much on whining about the lack of a release for their favorite platform in every game release thread.

Alotta people have played Switch in handheld mode and its made them realize that playing games via that mode is an amazing feeling. Thats why they/we port beg.
 

RavenHawk

Member
I haven't put a great deal of time into mine, but so far Zelda is fun, MK8 is OK (only played single player), and I'm not quite what to to think about Arms. I'll be grabbing Splatoon 2 and can't wait for Mario, as that looks like a blast.

That said, as was mentioned here:

In short:
The joycons are bad for big hands and their lack of ergonomics make my hands hurt after about 20 minutes. The software is there in a big way, I just wish the default method of playing was more comfortable.

As a person who owned a WiiU and owns all of the current gen consoles now, BotW was terrific and MK8 is still fun. Nothing else has made me turn it on. It's equal parts Nintendo exclusive machine and dust magnet.

Oh yeah, the Joycons are also fucking terrible and probably the worst default controller in modern console history when in the grip/feel made for toddlers out of the grip. Just appalling bad. Pro controller is great though.

I simply hate the joycons when connected to the unit. I primarily bought my Switch for playing around the house while relaxing, but my hands cramp up after 15-20 minutes. Thankfully (and unfortunately), I have the pro controller, so I have been playing in docked mode mostly. Has anyone tried the soft plastic shells that have "grips" molded into them that go around the joycons and the unit?

Edit: Something like this is what I was asking about:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071Z96R28/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IR9GSBDHUKEA5&colid=358ULG5UKL1S
 
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