6thHorizon

It's much too early to tell when there haven't even been reviews for Switch 2 games yet, let alone actually playing them. Would be fairer to judge in a year or so when hypes died down and the dust has settled.

So below Steam Deck's performance then.

Some online hate goes way too far, but in EA's case it is fully deserved.

It's interesting how divided people are about NSO, even on a Nintendo enthusiast website like this. It seems like people either love it or hate it depending on if they find value in everything being offered.
Personally I resent being asked to pay just to play Mario Kart online. This used to be free, going right back to the original DS.
Having played all the retro games that I want already, the NSO offering feels like a rip off and has actually turned me off Nintendo to an extent.
Offering more options, including a stripped down NSO for people like me and the option to purchase retro games individually might go some way to remedying this.

If this really is it I am quite disappointed. Even with the rumoured rotating triggers, I can't see that it's different enough to be as successful as the OG Switch, even with great games.
I think it will probably be more of a moderate success like the 3DS than a Wii U sized failure though.

The lack of any Miyamoto involvement goes some way to explaining the middling reception to this game.

If true this kind of input would have a lot of potential; a similar idea was Playdate's main USP after all.
https://play.date/

If these are legit I'm a bit disappointed by the lack of any apparent innovation.

Metroid Prime: Eternal

@WiltonRoots

Yes they did announce it, but my point still stands. If Steam can provide free online multiplayer then why can't Nintendo?

As far as I am aware most Nintendo online games are P2P in any case (such as MK8), so actually cost Nintendo almost nothing to provide.

Not everyone wants the retro games bundled together with online play. I played all the SNES and Gameboy games that I wanted to back when they were new.

Switch online play used to be free until Nintendo introduced NSO. Why can't it still be free like on Steam Deck?

@DreamlandGem @Yalloo

Here's a link to the story on IGN.

It would be concerning if NL lost its journalistic independence in any way because of this deal. I guess that would depend on how big a stake they actually hold in Hookshot, which has not been disclosed.

https://www.ign.com/articles/ign-entertainment-acquires-eurogamer-gi-vg247-rock-paper-shotgun-and-more

Perhaps the consensus that it is not a very good game means that it is actually not a very good game?

The fanatics who defend anything Nintendo releases, even if it's clearly substandard like this, really make me chuckle sometimes.

Abzu is a much better bet, so get that instead.

The real news is that Nintendo has ended free Mario Kart online after nearly 20 years. I still resent Nintendo charging for online play.

It's pretty obvious which option is better for the consumer, as others have said it's only the publishers that benefit from digital only distribution.
This article almost reads like a big corporation press release to be honest. NL needs to decide which side it is on, ours or theirs.

I'm praying that Nintendo just don't play it safe with the Switch successor and really innovate and surprise like we know they can. The whole industry needs upending with something new more than ever.

If Switch 2 is just iterative then the analysis is probably right, sadly.

8% seems very low if the Switch 2 is just around the corner

I'd honestly pay a (very) small monthly fee to continue playing MK7 online.
As others have also said, I can't justify an NSO sub just to play MK8.
Nintendo don't seem to realise that they will actually reduce engagement with their games in the long run.
Personally I've taken my online gaming completely to PC over this last year.

@johnvboy
The screen is 800p on steam deck. It is an uncommon 16:10 aspect ratio, which was chosen to allow better emulation of games that output in 4:3.

I applaud anyone trying something truely different and ambitious and hope this is a totally new ip as well.
I'm so tired of incremental sequels, even Nintendo seems less ambitious these days for some reason.
The industry needs a massive shake up with new ideas and ips.

They will allow you to carry over as little as they can get away with, this is Nintendo after all.
No doubt they are working out just how little they can get away with as we speak. Will probably end up with something like a percentage off previous purchases on the new system, at best.

It's a 2D orientated game, anything less 1080/60 docked, 720/60 handheld would raise serious questions. Folk really get carried away on here sometimes and it's partly fueled by articles and videos like these. I get that people are hyped but a little perspective wouldn't go amiss.

Of course the real news here is that free online Mario Kart will be coming to an end

Sorry but this reads like a Nintendo press release to me.

The main reason I started buying 3rd party and indy games on Steam instead of Switch was due to concerns over my library becoming obsolete yet again. I only need to look back at my 3DS library, full of great indy games, to be wary of history repeating as we move to the next console.

I'm tired of Nintendo expecting customers to buy the same game over and over again. With Steam you buy a game once and it's yours forever, on any compatible device; this has now become the expected standard and anything less smacks of exploitative business practice.

@NorthwestEagle
Sorry, tagged the wrong person! Now edited.

@Okko
Reggie left to distance himself from the worker bullying scandal at NOA which happened under his watch as CEO and protect his legacy as a cuddly mascot.

I get why they've done this but I'd have taken an Odyssey 2 over the movie and theme parks any day.

I'm sticking my neck out and saying that Legends is the best 2D platformer ever.
It provides the perfect amount of challenge and is dripping with creativity and most importantly fun- which is the point of video games after all.

'...and online multiplayer is scheduled to arrive later this year.'

Online multiplayer has been in GRID Autosport since 2020.

I liked David Cameron.

I dunno, I've hardly touched my Switch since I got a Steam Deck, so these devices are certainly competing with the Switch as far as I can see.

As a fan of Kid Icarus Uprising that doesn't like Smash, I've been hoping that he'd apply his talents to something else for a while now.

I struggle to justify the basic subscription just to play 2 games online.

Any game that you own physically you can do whatever you want with, including extracting or modifying the code and using it however you wish.

This is why the industry is so keen to push downloads with DRM and subscription models where you actually have no legal ownership of the games.

@Banjo-

You can install Dolphin and most other emulators easily using EmuDeck. No need for a different OS, you just install it in desktop mode and it offers a range of customisation options to let you configure it for gameplay mode.

@Rambler

You'll have to ask Sony about that one, as I said ☺

@Rambler

You'll have to ask Sony about that one lol
It just makes some sense to me and it's worth bearing in mind that this is an internal document, not something released just to enrage the fans of rival consoles.

@Zidentia

Yeah I was referring more to casual gamers or those that know very little at all about gaming, than the hardcore that you get on sites like this.

@KevinP
Yes, I've been disappointed by the relative lack of innovation and ambition from Nintendo since 2018, given their own lofty standards historically.

These figures make sense to me.
I know the Switch has been a roaring sales success, especially during the pandemic, but I've felt a lot of Nintendo's output has been lacking in innovation or surprise since 2018.
After Mario Odyssey released there have been a lot of incremental sequels like Splatoon 3 or ports from the WiiU, but nothing that's really pushed the envelope by Nintendo's usual high standards (until TOTK ofc).
I've honestly been a bit disappointed and hope they've just been holding back the good stuff for the next console.

The PlayStation brand has become synonymous with video games in general. Much like Band-aid for plasters or Biro for ballpoint pens, people often say 'PlayStation' when they really mean any unspecified video game console.

The more leaks the better for those still on the fence

Long term, independents getting swallowed up will only be bad news for the video game industry. See what EA have already done since their acquisition of Codemasters as a case in point.

That's a pity. Apart from Rocket League this is the only online game I still play on Switch.

Firstly, it's great that so many of you are hyped

As someone that gave up on BOTW only 25 hours in (and a massive OOT and TP fan), I was hopeful that TOTK might see the return of proper dungeons and a bit more of a narrative thread (hand-holding if you will).

The jury is obviously still out on that but the talk of 'more creativity' and giving more freedom to play really hasn't dampened my concerns. If anything it seems like it's BOTW x 10, which is great if you loved BOTW, but not so great for those that miss the more traditional Zelda styles.

As someone that spends much of their day creating/ problem solving, the last thing I want at the end of the day is to be forced to be overly creative in my entertainment of choice.

Looking forward to reading some objective reviews that will hopefully allay my concerns.

Sounds like FIFA 24 could actually be worth playing

Mario games have always been about the gameplay for me, not really the characters or story, so this is of little interest.

'I already own too many Switch'

Never knew the plural of Switch was Switch.

I remember Nintendo stated that the plural of Joycon was Joycon, but was the Switch pluralisation ever officially confirmed?