Topic: Nintendo Switch 2

@kkslider5552000 The green crystals confuse me. The game menu tells you it's a major quest you have to do, putting it in the menu alongside the teleporter keys. You only need 50% of the crystals. The game only spawns some after major story events so you're never overwhelmed. You go through the desert passing them by often enough.

I'm not sure what else they could have done short of get rid of it entirely, but then we also lose the Metroid Prime staple of boring fetch quest that every game has to have for some reason.

But for a game everyone cries as being not enough like Metroid Prime, maybe that wouldn't have been a bridge too far. Who knows.

@Haruki_NLI
I’m playing it right now for the first time, and the truth (in my eyes) is somewhere in the middle:

The green crystal thing is unquestionably a dumb completion quest, but yes, it is indeed communicated to you early and clearly in the game that you should be on the lookout for those puppies as you progress. People who are saving it for the end of the game or acting like it’s suddenly sprung on you are being disingenuous or are incredibly thick.

That said, I need one more key crystal or whatever, and I’ve been driving through tons of green crystals and getting them in the shrines and stuff, and I’m still not quite at the halfway full mark.

My ultimate conclusion, again: super fun game. Super dumb quest.

I can tell you that I did, I think exactly 50% right before the actual late game fetch quest thing, and that the other 50% was what sent me over the edge, because it is part of the game. It is a collectable that you can collect a finite amount of in a Metroid game, and furthermore there is another thing you get for getting at least 75%, which was already a step way too far. I'd have to double check whether something in the game is effected by getting all of them tho, but it would not be easy to convince me it doesn't count for 100% a mainline Metroid Prime game. Not helped by other issues that come from the structure of the game and other underwhelming elements that make late game 100% collectables disappointing.

If it was most other games, I would not care nearly as much, but 100% runs define Metroid games. With the possible exception of spinoffs like Federation Force, I want to 100% a Metroid game when I play a Metroid game, especially when I replay one (also since I'm not good enough for those "bare minimum upgrade" speedruns or whatever). Especially a Metroid game that does have parts I'd want to play again (unlike Federation Force lol). I literally did a 2nd 100% run of Metroid Dread months earlier, which was awesome.

It's also bad for the game's value in terms of time spent on it. If it had literally 2 less hours of tedium, I'd be more interested in replaying it. So for example, 19 X 1 vs. 17 X 2. I mean, yeah obviously, I could just replay not those parts, and maybe in the future I'll be over it, but right now, it just makes me feel sad and made me disinterested in the very idea of it. It really soured my whole feeling on the game.

Also I apparently need to repeat myself. This is DRAMATICALLY worse than what they did in past games. It's not even remotely comparable. I never understood the level of complaint people had with past games doing similar late game backtracking segments (if you know what you're doing in Prime 1, you just need one trip to Phendrana by that point tbh), whereas this was genuinely really bad.

Prime 4 is a fantastic game. Yes, it would have beeb better without the green crystal requirement but, if you casually collect them as you go, it's easier than any other Metroid Prime fetch quest. You don't have to collect them all unless you choose to.

I collected them all because I wanted to and was having fun doing it. Not as much fun as the rest of the game, but enough that I chose to do so of my own volition.

If such things bother you, probably not wise to freely choose to collect them all. And if you can't restrain yourself but despise it, then just quit playing and move on to another game. That's what I do anytime I hit an endgame requirement that aggravates me.

But ya, great game. Glad to hear you're enjoying it @rallydefault

Yeah, the sheer quantity of Green Crystals needed seems like overkill.

Still, at least if you start collecting early, you might be able to get the radar to find the rest of them before you've run out of other things to do in the game.

@JaxonH
Yea, I'm just going into the mines now. I'm really liking it! It's another Nintendo game that is just so much fun to control, and the process of getting all the moves and revisiting places to open new paths sunk its hooks into me.

On Prime 4, did you guys feel excited to push through or did it end up feeling like a grind by the end?

I must have gotten about halfway through a few months ago and haven’t touched it since. I’d like to finish it to say I beat it but every time I think about picking it back up I just feel zero motivation to play :/

@ROMhaiku
I’ve really enjoyed sitting down to play it each time.

I’ve been getting the green crystals along the way, so I don’t think I’m going to need much grinding (I’m not going for 100%, though).

I have 4 of the 5 keys, just got into the mines, and still liking it a lot. I think the gameplay was getting a bit stale right before I got the grapple, but then the grapple opened up so many routes and feels really good to use. Same with the spider ball and all the wall mazes you can do with it.

My least favorite area so far was definitely the ice place, but the lava zone right after was super fun.

@rallydefault Oh interesting. I haven't got the grapple yet so I'll try and persevere to that point. I think you're right too because the lack of sticky spider ball means I'm constantly coming across things that seem interesting but I can't access and go off the beaten track just yet (maybe it's the linearity I'm not vibing with).

@ROMhaiku For the green crystals, they were a complete non-issue for me. I just took slightly different paths whenever I was travelling anywhere. I didn't go out of my way to collect the crystals and just picked up what was in front of me. I was at over 75% by the time I finished the mines, and was at 100% (of the required crystals, not 100% of everything) before I needed it to proceed.
The game is great, and I loved it. There are 2 critiques that I have which brings the game down a notch - level design and the end boss. Level design is great on the first pass, but it's linear and there really aren't secret paths or interconnections between levels, making it less enjoyable to revisit. As for the final boss, I just didn't enjoy the fight.
Overall, as I played through the game the first time, I really loved it. As I've had a few months since playing, I'll probably not go back to revisit or try to get 100%. This falls in line with most games for me, I really never replay them.

has anybody tried out the Hyperion3 controllers yet as a Joy-Con 2 replacement?
There's also the Mobapad M12S(Which supports 9-Axis Gyro, like the Hyperion3's.) which i think are supposed to launch some time in between April & May.

Thankfully the H3's Cardinal locking stick issue is no more, which was an issue with the none retail version everybody on YT got their hands on. I wonder if you can fully turn off it's tacky LED lights and if it's 9-Axis gyro is every bit as reliable and accurate as the official JCN2's. It's either those or the Moba M12S's.

I'll gladly sacrfice HD Rumble 1 in order to get 9-Axis with the M12S's vs the M12 HD's since I plan on using these detached Wii Remote & Nunchuck-style on a TV, for titles like Skyward Sword HD, Galaxy 1&2 HD etc. The entire point for me is to get more accurate and reliable gyro, topped with traditional sticks, better comfort/ergonomics, and larger more premium buttons and not having the right stick directly placed beneath B,A,X&Y like with the JCN2's. And geez, these Controller add/commercials are total corporate bland trash. Reflection of the times as always.

It's unfortunate that I just don't play games when they're new so I have to have opinions on games I have not played. But said, I feel confident now, unless the new Yoshi game is notably worse than Crafted World, that there is no objective definitive best year 1 of a Switch console. They both had a lot of games, a good mix of quality and variety, a couple of them arguably don't count because they're on the last console too, my most hyped game at the end of the year didn't live up to following up one of my favorite video games and despite wildly different play times are memorably flawed in wasting your time with its side content.

Honestly I think 3rd parties make the more interesting argument. Do you prefer the AAA favored era of Nintendo or not? I think its at least much cooler than Nintendo relied on niche games early on with the Switch which helped those niche games succeed without needing to compete with many/bigger games, and I rarely care about playing modern AAA games in general, let alone on Nintendo. Though to be fair, I won't be surprised if I enjoy Cyberpunk 2077 a lot more than any of the year 1 niche 3rd party games.

There's so many things to consider and so many weird things, like...Mario Kart 8 Deluxe being a highlight of the Switch to me, but only years and years later. The idea that I or anyone can definitively decide which one is better because of a Wii U port of a game I didn't want until a thing that happened with it FIVE YEARS LATER is absurd, that alone is subjective for various reasons. And the most objective answer would be sales, but I'd genuinely prefer death than deciding "well the more popular games are here so its better". Ew, gross. I'd have to apologize to my copy of Little King's Story if I said that even once. Especially when I literally said it was cool how Switch 1 started by being a better place for niche games specifically.

Point is, I don't get this argument existing. "They're the same picture". And most people don't even play enough games to genuinely compare game libraries, its so silly.

@kkslider5552000
Were you around for the Wii U era? Think you were. Remember when 3rd party support consisted of Lost Reavers, Runbow and Mario & Sonic Winter Olympic Games? 1st party consisted of Star Fox Zero, Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival and Mario Tennis Ultra Smash? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

Even in Switch 1 era, we got LA Noire, Ultra Street Fighter II and Disgaea 5. That was pretty much it until Skyrim at the end of the year. Though the 1st party was good- it had to be since 3rd parties were basically MIA. Zelda BotW, Splatoon 2, Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade 2. Definitely a strong start exclusive-wise.

But then I look at Switch 2 and it's like, Cyberpunk 2077, Dragon Quest HD-2D trilogy and DQ7 Reimagined, Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth, Resident Evil 7, Village and Requiem, Hades 2, GRID Legends, Fantasy Life i, Monster Hunter Stories 3, Pragmata, Indiana Jones, Tony Hawk 3+4, Ys X Proud Nordics, Trails in the Sky 1st and 2nd, Trails Beyond the Horizon, Yooka Replaylee, Street Fighter 6, Hitman Absolution, Yakuza 0/1/2/3, Split Fiction, Star Wars Outlaws, 007 First Light, Granblue Fantasy Relink, Adventures of Elliot, Fatal Frame 2 remake, Elden Ring, The Duskbloods, Fallout 4, Oblivion Remastered, Dynasty Warriors Origins, South of Midnight, Virtue Fighter 5, Persona 3 Reload, etc.

And even then, it's not like Nintendo has been stingy on the 1st party front. Mario Kart World, DK Bonanza, Kirby Air Riders, Hyrule Warriors, Pokemon Legends Z-A, Metroid Prime 4, Mario Tennis Fever, Pokopia, Yoshi Mysterious Book, Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave, Splatoon Raiders, and we finally have a next-gen Pokemon to look forward to with Winds/Waves.

Not to mention all the updates for Switch games that improve them to be more competent versions on Switch 2 like Hogwarts Legacy, Tomb Raider, Divinity Original Sin 2, Rocket Leage, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Zelda BotW and TotK, Zelda Link's Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom, Mario Odyssey and 3D World, Splatoon 3, Kirby Forgotten Land, Xenoblade X, etc.

I have no complaints. I literally can't keep up.

But what makes it even more exciting is, we haven't even had our first 2026 Direct. I imagine we'll get one this summer once Yoshi has released and they've exhausted their dated lineup, focusing on Fire Emblem and Splatoon Raiders, but also a handful of brand new announcements for late 2026 and early 2027. We may even get a sneak peak of what they have cooking for the next 3D Zelda (which I expect to be dated for 2027, then delayed until 2028 😀)

I will say, that is probably the one argument where Switch 2 wins but I'd go with Switch 1 every day. It's cool that Nintendo gets such a wide variety of quality games ASAP, but the first year of Switch 1, is the last time, barring MAYBE the early months of PS5, where I associate a variety of 3rd party games with a specific console. And as someone who grew up before a million different games were popular in their own niche, video game libraries used to actually be different across different consoles instead of being defined entirely by exclusives. And there's a type of real almost exhaustion from too many options, which is maybe why for Switch, my library has been so heavily focused on early games and retro games (and a lot of the exceptions were very specific exceptions or I found for real cheap). I want to play some of the actual games that define the console, so that's often what I end up buying. There's various RPGs I'd like to buy, but obviously if I'm getting a JRPG on Switch, it should probably be the HD-2D ones, because Octopath stood out early enough and defined this era in ways most 3rd party games did not. I just prefer that these different consoles are actually different beyond differences in power I increasingly don't care about and first party games. Doubly so since, as proven by Switch, it helped those games tremendously. As a long time Nintendo fan, I can't tell you how much of a relief it was to watch 3rd party Switch games, not even big mainstream ones, succeed, after years and years of 3rd parties almost considering Nintendo to be poison to avoid at any cost, and years and years of niche games being unfairly ignored.

I fully realize this argument will mean nothing to most people, that's fine.

@kkslider5552000
Switch was make or break for 3rd parties on Nintendo. I strongly encouraged people to vote with their wallets if they wanted future support. Because on Wii U, we got the excellent Splinter Cell Blacklist, with gyro aiming and well integrated gamepad support... it sold 10k copies on Wii U. That's less than your random shovelware indie.

If Switch didn't break that trend it was never gonna happen. Thankfully, it did. And by the end of Switch's lifespan it was getting a sizeable lot of 3rd party. Unfortunately, it missed most bigger games and the ones it did get were severely compromised (some exceptions being Sniper Elite 4, Monster Hunter Rise, Zombie Army 4, etc).

But Switch 2... my goodness. Finally we're getting all the games, for the most part. And competent versions, for the most part. Even the "bad ports" play better than most "good ports" did on Switch.

I'd say Switch 2 is about as different as it gets, unless comparing to Switch 1. But nobody wanted the hybrid handheld concept to be abandoned. There's a reason Switch is best selling console in history, after all. The desperation even just for a Switch Pro reached fever pitch in the 3 years leading to NS2 launch.

But it does what it needed. 1st party games no longer run sub-30 fps, it's strong enough to output 4k 60 fps and even 1080p 120 fps in some titles, it's strong enough to get day and date AAA without looking severely compromised, and I think it's the pinnacle of all control input methods now that it has much more precise 9-axis gyro with higher polling rate, mouse integration, rear mappable grip buttons, no drift and new glide analogs (it's a small thing but once you experience it, it's just that primo polish you love to see), oh, and we finally have native party chat. That was a long running meme for the past 20 years.

And GameShare... single most underrated feature on the system. It's like the Wii U gamepad streaming technology perfected, except you're getting native HD resolution rather than 480p, and it still feels native without latency. Fact it even works over the internet is a miracle. Still have no idea how they're doing that so lag-free.

Wouldn't expect too many 3rd party exclusives. They still exist but they're dying out. Fact every 3rd party game is hybrid handheld (often with gyro aiming) on Switch 2 makes them feel, to me, like they help define the console. Indiana Jones for example. Console version + handheld version + gyro aiming (not present on other versions) + on-cart release (not present on other versions), and it seems to run well and compares favorably visually... that's the definitive version as far as I'm concerned.

But even just being able to play games like Persona 3 Reload in 1080p handheld (and 60 fps docked) vs Persona 5 Royal on Switch in 540p handheld, or Hades 2 in 1080p 120 fps handheld vs Switch in 720p 60 fps handheld, or Fantasy Life i in 1080p 60 fps handheld vs 480p sub-30 fps handheld, is a game-changer.

I still adore Switch, but it's not really getting any games of note anymore and what it does get looks and runs so much worse. Nice that Switch 2 is BC so it still plays all those games, and without frame drops or dynamic resolution drops.

We are going into a strange year with RAMegeddon and an unstable world situation with oil prices likely to be unstable and climbing. It's not a great year to establish the Switch 2 or sell computer and gaming hardware in general. UK is now claimed to be the biggest Switch 2 market in Europe due to the slowdown in France but it appears to be pretty slow here too just better than France. We have seen heavy discounting of Switch 2 titles in the UK mainly third party titles but Metroid Prime 4 has dropped below £35 at retail for a first party title with a suggested selling price of £60 I think. Generally Switch 2 titles are inferior to versions on other platforms like PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X and even compared to Xbox Series S and earlier console titles PS4 and Xbox One for some titles. Yet prices can be very high on Switch 2 platform often more expensive than PS5.

I do think the withdrawal of the standard LCD Steam Deck has taken some pressure off Switch 2. At one point the Steam Deck LCD was £279 in the UK and the Switch 2 was significantly more at retail at about £100 more but now the only PC handhelds in the same price area as Switch 2 are older or weaker models significantly discounted due to clearance offers that only have very limited stock availability.

It looks like the main competition now for Switch 2 is the original Switch 1 and Nintendo have pushed up Switch 1 pricing to make the Switch 2 offer more compelling.

Hopefully all this AI nonsense will burst in a few months and perhaps more realistic pricing will allow the Switch 2 to have a fantastic Christmas this year however most predictions seem to indicate the bubble will most likely burst in 2027 not 2026. I am expecting a price increase of Switch 2 this year and in Europe I don't think the original Switch 2 pricing was accepted. The UK to Japanese currency conversion showed Japan benefitted from a Switch 2 under £240 where as the official/suggested price in the UK was £396. This feels like the most extreme price difference between the UK/Europe and Japan ever and we are heading to a higher price point this year? I can see Switch 2 having a very bad year in Europe and a mediocre year in the USA. January showed Europe had half the shipments of Switch 2 as Japan in a market over 6x the population of Japan (750 million vs 120 million) and I would say a huge amount of Switch 2s are still stuck in retail in the UK at least, likely mainland Europe too.

I do realise there are some big titles that may help shift more Switch 2 consoles like anything Pokemon related but we shall see. I'm expecting a grim Switch 2 year in Europe.

I'm still not seeing third party titles sell great on Switch 2 either (in Europe).

@BonzoBanana
Of course a 10W handheld will have technical inferiority vs other power consoles tethered to a TV. I don't think anyone buys a Switch 2 game thinking, "this will give me better visuals and performance than a PS5!". The appeal is it looks 90% as good yet offers double the value by untethering the ball and chain allowing the hybrid advantage. And clearly there's a market for that, same prices and all, as evidenced by the gold rush of 3rd party devs climbing over themselves like crabs in a bucket to get their games ported over.

Forget anecdotes or specific regions and look at the hard data. Switch 2 games are selling globally. Very well. 3rd party included. And it's only going to increase as the install base grows.

Nintendo is gonna smash their already upgraded 19m projection by March 31st, continuing dominance as the fastest selling video game console in history.

They have absolutely nothing to worry about. They could pull out of Europe entirely and still likely hit their 19m expanded goal.

Switch 2 Games Out The Wazoo

Yea, I was gonna say... isn't the Switch 2 doing really well already?

And ever since Pokopia became a smash hit, I've been hearing (anecdotally, given) that it's been sort of tough to find Switch 2s in certain regions.

@rallydefault
It's definitely a system seller. Switch 2 sold half a quarter million units in a single week in a single country (Japan) for its launch. And word of mouth has only caught 🔥 since then.

It's all over social media. Everyone and their grandmother is buying a Switch 2 for Pokopia. My entire timeline has been nothing but new Switch 2 owners for the last week.

And with Resident Evil Requiem's success on Switch 2 it's becoming a real force to be reckoned with. Switch 2 versions of games are starting to outsell Switch 1 versions in the tail (long legs) weekly sales for previously released games.

Even saw Switch 2 just overtook PS5 in France as best selling console, and we know Europe is their worst market. Not anywhere near as bad as Japan is for PS, but not as strong as the Americas or Japan.

Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave will be a small system seller (not as much as Pokopia but there's a segment of players waiting on that game) and Splatoon Raiders, I think, will be much bigger than people expect. I was pondering how Splatoon needed a shake up, and Raiders might just be it. Duskbloods and Elden Ring will also draw in some new players and console sales just due to the prospect of playing hybrid handheld combined with a brand new core Miazaki exclusive.

And we have yet to find out the surprises in store for the 2nd half of the year, which we'll learn in summer time. I expect a Zelda remake and something completely unpredicted.

@JaxonH

"Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave will be a small system seller"

I can back this up, at least a little bit. I don't watch many gaming YouTubers since I usually watch regular TV shows instead of YouTube, but one of the few gaming YouTubers that I watch said that he's more likely to pick up a Switch 2 in the near future because of Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave.