Tell us about what you played on the Switch today

[newtmonkey]

Instead of creating a new topic for the game I'm currently playing (Labyrinth of Zangetsu), I thought it would make more sense to just create a topic to shoot the breeze about whatever games you're playing currently.

 

---

 

Anyway, what have you been playing on the Switch?  What are your thoughts on whatever you're playing?

[newtmonkey]

I've had a Switch now for a couple of years, since my wife wanted one to play Dobutsu no Mori (aka Animal Crossing).  I wasn't much interested myself, but it turns out that there are lots of interesting RPGs on this system, as well as a bunch of other games I'm into (side scrollers mostly).  Anyway, here's what I've been playing lately:

 

Labyrinth of Zangetsu

This is basically Wizardry with a Japanese coat of paint (VERY similar to Wizardry Gaiden IV: Throb of the Demon's Heart on the Super Famicom).  One really crazy thing about this game is that it comes with no manual (not even a digital manual on the game card), and it doesn't even really have any kind of tutorial.  As a huge Wizardry fan (I've already completed Wizardry I-III&V), it's been a comfortable fit slipping into this game, but I can only imagine that the game would be brutal and frustrating for anyone unfamiliar with Wizardry.  What were they thinking?

 

Anyway, like Wizardry it's a party-based first-person dungeon explorer with turn-based combat.  It carries over pretty much every mechanic from Wizardry, including limited spell slots for casters, trapped treasure chest to disarm with your thief, and a combat system focused heavily on having your tanks and damage dealers up front, and your squishy spellcasters in the rear.  It's a system that works great, and so far it works fine in this game.

 

So far, the dungeon design is quite good.  Like Wizardry, random encounters are rare; instead, most battles occur on fixed squares, and once you clear that encounter it's gone for good until you leave the dungeon and return.  Each dungeon has its own unique gimmick, which you need to figure out, usually to unlock a shortcut back to town.

 

It's been some time since I've played a Wizardry game, so it's been a lot of fun revisiting the system.  I recreated the party I took through Wizardry I-III&V on PC (two fighters, a priest, a thief, and two mages), and it's working great so far.

 

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

I actually have this on PC (Steam), but never really made much progress in it.  Once I found out that both games were released in a double pack for the Switch, I decided to buy it and give the game another shot.  I made it through the first three stages in one go, and it's really good so far!  It just feels better playing this kind of game on my couch in the living room.

 

I love how this game looks and sounds.  It's as though it's from another dimension, where Nintendo had put out a 32X-esque add-on for the NES lol.  It's clearly meant to look and sound like an NES game, but you get tons of parallax scrolling, enormous bosses, a killer soundtrack, and more.

 

If I have to complain about anything so far, it's that the bosses have really simple patterns, but still take way too many hits to kill.  They also often have very annoying "surprise" attacks they do once you've finally killed them, and they give very little warning about what's coming.  I haven't had it happen yet, but I can imagine a situation where you beat the boss with just a few blocks of life left and then his surprise attack kills you.  That would be very frustrating!

 

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

I was really digging this at first, because of all the references to Super Mario Bros. 3, my favorite game in the series.  However, after blasting through the first world with a bunch of lives in reserve, I felt disappointed.  It apes SMB3 in many ways, but it ends up just feeling like an inferior version of that classic.  The music is not as memorable, there's no challenge, and the level design is pretty dull.  Hopefully it will get better during the second world.

Edited August 18, 2023 by newtmonkey

[homerj]

Last thing i played a couple of days ago was Sega Ages Shinobi. 

[Asaki]

Previously, I was trying to see if I could finish Hyrule Warriors II before TotK came out, but I didn't quite make it.
So now I'm just going to be playing TotK for a while B)
 

4 hours ago, newtmonkey said:

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

I was really digging this at first, because of all the references to Super Mario Bros. 3, my favorite game in the series.  However, after blasting through the first world with a bunch of lives in reserve, I felt disappointed.  It apes SMB3 in many ways, but it ends up just feeling like an inferior version of that classic.  The music is not as memorable, there's no challenge, and the level design is pretty dull.  Hopefully it will get better during the second world.

Yeah, I'm not sure if that one would be as enjoyable to play by yourself. It was a lot of fun with four players.

[newtmonkey]

In addition to making some progress in Labyrinth of Zangetsu and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, I tried out a few more games:

 

Super Mario Odyssey

Right off the bat, I was turned off by the graphics.  I don't like the mix of somewhat realistic backgrounds with a Mario that's halfway between a cartoon and a real deformed man.  The hat thing doesn't really do much for me either... it feels like Super Mario Sunshine, but even stranger.  Finally, there's way too much dialog and the camera moving around showing you what to do, so that it feels a bit more like playing Ocarina of Time than Super Mario.  I definitely prefer Super Mario 64, in how it gives you this big hub world to explore and then drops you into levels to explore without much guidance.

 

Anyway, having said all that, the levels are very cool to explore in this one.  It seems like you're always doing something different; one minute you're smashing things as a dinosaur, and then the next minute you're scoping a level out for invisible walkways.  It's also a very good looking game, though I still don't like how modern Mario looks.  Finally, I love how the in-game maps are presented as travel guides, complete with little columns on the side about stuff to see.  A very nice touch!

 

Mortal Kombat 11

I have this on PS4, but hardly ever have my PS4 hooked up.  This is a decent port, but even docked it's a far cry from the PS4 version; without the impressive graphics, there's not much to this one imo.  The characters all look like they are from some Marvel superhero movie, and the proportions are bizarre; why does every character have such a huge head compared to his/her body?  It reminds me of some of the NBA Jam ports where it was like big head mode was permanently turned on.

 

The "desperation" move you can do when your lifebar is low is ridiculous.  There's nothing worse that having a close match with the computer, and then it pulls that move off and instantly kills you; sure, you can block/avoid these moves, but until you learn each character's moveset, you're gonna be unprepared at least the first time.  I also don't like the chain combos... the buttons you press don't seem to correspond to what the character is actually doing. I think Tekken or Virtua Fighter do a much better job with this.

 

Diablo III: Eternal Collection

Normally I would play the PC version, but since that version requires you to be online even to play single player, I went with the Switch version.  It's not a bad port at all; some would argue it's even better, since it gives you direct control of your character and so the game feels a bit more like an action game.  Having completed Diablo and Diablo II somewhat recently, it was quite to shock to finally play this one!  No stats, spell-casting characters don't really attack with their weapons, and you seem to just unlock new skills as you level, rather than having to put points into a skill tree (like Diablo II).  I am assuming that the concept of character builds is still in the game, but so far leveling up is automatic.

 

Anyway, once the initial shock wore off, I became somewhat addicted to this.  I first tried a Necromancer, but ended up deciding to play as a Wizard, and it's fun so far.  A good game to turn the brain off and just do some hacking and slashing.

[Video]

Teenage mutant ninja turtles, the cowabunga collection. This is basically the collection of tmnt 8 and 16 bit collections, as well as the 80's and 90's era tmnt arcade games. Its awesome alone or with friends. Many of the games feature cheats so you can play invincible or have the game run itself so you can see what the whole game is like, if like me you suck at it lol. Lots of other goodies too like a tape player to let you watch various videos or listen to the theme music on all the games. Played with some friends, but those arcades have brutal bosses that we were wondering if we were even damaging lol.

[digdugnate]

Since the port of Vampire Survivors released last Thursday on the Switch, that's what I've been playing (again).  It runs really well, even with tons of stuff on the screen.

[newtmonkey]

Diablo III: Eternal Collection

I really got quite addicted to this over the weekend!  I went back to playing a Necromancer, which is a pretty fun class.  I'm midway through Act III now, and although I like the game, I'd definitely rank it below Diablo II (which I also rank below Diablo).

 

The biggest problem with this one (and Diablo II for that matter) is that it's just too easy.  I started on Normal per the game's recommendation, but switched to Hard during Act II, and then switched to Expert in Act III.  I didn't have any kind of build in mind whatsoever and just picked which skills seemed cool, and not only have I not died even once, but it's rare for even my HP bar to decrease.

 

I must also mention the absolutely horrible writing.  It's like watching a Saturday morning cartoon, with the villains constantly appearing to gloat and tell you their plans.  The writing was not fantastic in the previous games, but the developers were smart enough then to keep the story mostly in the background and rely more on atmosphere, so it's bizarre that this game focuses so much on its bad writing!

 

I still enjoy the game, though I do sort of feel like I am being manipulated into enjoying what is really not a great game, thanks to the dopamine rush of constant upgrades.  When I step back and think about it, I've been doing the same thing, over and over, across giant mostly empty maps, with absolutely no difficulty, technique, or thought required to progress.  In that sense, it feels like I am simply "consuming" this game rather than playing it, like one would binge-watch and consume a Netflix series... simply put in enough hours and it's done.

 

Dark Souls: Remastered

I've completed this many times on the PS3 and PC, and it's definitely in my top 5 games of all time in any genre.  You would think that a long mostly linear game like this would be annoying to replay, but it's just so good that I like to replay it every year or so.  It does have great replay value, since there are so many character builds and they all play quite differently.  Also, although the game is mostly linear, if you select the "key" item as your starting gift, you actually get access to a big part of the game right from the start (if you can survive the more difficult areas!).

 

I've already completed this as a Pyromancer, Cleric, and Knight (two-handed weapon), so I decided to play through as a Sorcerer.  I've never even tried this class before, so it will be interesting to see how it plays.

 

The Switch version of this game deserves special mention, as it's different from the "remastered" version that released on other platforms.  It's actually just the original game running at a higher resolution, with a smoother frame rate and UI stuff redrawn in higher resolution.  In a sense, it's actually the best version, as it runs at a higher native res than the original release (even on PC), has a smoother frame rate in troublesome areas than the original console version.  Also, the remastered release on other platforms makes a lot of changes to lighting and effects that arguably make the game look worse, so this is the version to play imo.

Edited August 22, 2023 by newtmonkey

[AtariLeaf]

Recently got a Switch for our 31st anniversary and have been enjoying No Mans Sky, the remastered Need for speed hot pursuit and some of the atari recharged games. 

[lmich391]

Mario Golf Super Rush

 

Just playing the courses. There is a story mode. 
 

Call of Juarez Gunslinger 

 

So far so good. It’s a western. Almost done. 
 

Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu

 

Pretty simple. Just relaxing game for me

 

Kirby Star Allies

 

Simple and relaxing more geared towards the kids. Looking for puzzle pieces and switches. Playing solo maybe more fun in multiplayer 

 

Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet Complete Edition 

 

Trying to use to all the dialogue. LOL So far so good

 

I have a lot of games going because if I don’t will get bored very easily 

 

After Call of Juarez going to Red Dead Redemption next. 

[newtmonkey]

Diablo III: Eternal Collection

I finished this early this morning.  It was alright.  I became quite addicted, but I don't think it's because the game is particularly great... it was more like something I could do while also listening to podcasts or music.

 

Anyway, I played through with a Necromancer, and it was a pretty fun class.  I started on "Normal" difficulty, but switched to a higher difficulty level each time I reached a new act.  That left me on "Master" during Act 4 (the final act of the main game).  I tried "Torment" difficulty on the Reaper of Souls expansion, but it really just made the game more tedious instead of more difficult; I was still mostly invulnerable, but enemies were complete HP sponges... so I reverted back to "Master" difficulty there.

 

I must admit that I was tempted to play around in the Adventure mode, but I think I've had enough of this game for now.  In the game's favor, I must say that, if you like how this game plays, it's the kind of game you could play forever.

 

---

 

Next, I will probably resume my quest in Labyrinth of Zangetsu.

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by newtmonkey

[newtmonkey]

There's nothing better than having nothing to do on a rainy day... the perfect time to play a bunch of games!

 

Labyrinth of Zangetsu

This started out really good, but now at around 8 hours in, it's become kind of tedious and boring.  It does nothing new with the Wizardry mechanics, and there's simply not enough to discover.  In the classic Wizardry games, each dungeon level has different enemies and you're constantly finding interesting upgrades in treasure chests.  In LoZ, I'm about halfway through the game but haven't replaced any of my equipment over the last 2-3 hours.  I'm also mostly fighting the same enemies over and over.  The dungeons have interesting gimmicks, but it's not enough.

 

The enemies are generally pretty boring.  A lot of them tend to look kind of the same, since so many monsters are just blobs, and since the game is mostly in black and white.  It makes it very difficult to remember which enemies resist certain magic spells, so I'm constantly wasting spells.

 

Dark Souls: Remastered

I didn't like how my character was developing, so I restarted and made a lot of good progress.  I've finished this game many times on other systems, so there aren't many surprises in store for me, but I'm having a good time.

 

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

Zzzzzzzzzzz.  Boring level design, slippery controls, no new ideas.  It just feels like going through the same level over and over... I mean how many levels are just straight runs with giant pieces of the level sliding back and forth?  It also just feels bad to play imo.

 

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

This is more like it!  This game is just a delight to play.  I've played the first game in this "series" on the 3DS, so I knew what to expect... but this is really good!  I love the concept of combining Mario 64 exploration with traditional Mario platforming in tiny levels.  Each of these levels has its own gimmick or theme, and there's just so much imagination and variety on display.  What a game.

[Asaki]

Still playing TotK. I think I might be about 50% through now?

[homerj]

The last time i played my Switch a few days ago i fired up THOTD Remake.  Gyro is a poor substitute for a good ol fashioned light gun but it’s playable. 

[newtmonkey]

Zelda Musou: Hyrule All-Stars DX

I believe this was released outside of Japan as Hyrule Warriors.  Anyway, this is a massively upgraded version of the original 3DS game, which is Koei's Dynasty Warriors but in the Zelda universe.

 

I've been into this series since the very beginning (even including that one-on-one fighting game on the PSX).  I know these games get criticized for being dumb and repetitive, but I think (like usual) professional video game reviewers are missing the point.  A game is only repetitive if you don't like it; if you do like what it does, then it's just exactly what you want, over and over.  Yes, you are basically doing the same thing moment-to-moment in this game, but you could say the same for pretty much any game.  What attracts me to the Musou games is building up your characters while unlocking alternate routes through the game on Normal (depending on the game, this can still present a challenge), and then playing the "post game" at a higher difficulty level to unlock new and better stuff.  They are a lot like Diablo II or Phantasy Star Online, in that respect.  My absolute favorite game in the series is Samurai Warriors, which took the familiar formula but made each character very unique to play and has a really moody and somewhat edgy take on Japanese history (quite a contrast to the modern games in the series, which are too colorful and absolutely ridiculous).  It also added a bunch of time-limited missions occurring throughout each map, which basically told the "story" of each battle... which is the formula KOEI uses for pretty much all the games in the series now.

 

Anyway, Zelda Musou is pretty good.  They did a good job of taking the Musou formula, but adding fun Zelda stuff like treasure chests and sub-items.  Each battle has you completely bombarded with missions, which is good and bad.  Good, because it makes each map/battle unique, but bad because you basically never get a change to just chill and explore the maps.  The characters all have some unique aspects to them, but generally all play the same, which is disappointing.  Also disappointing is the level up system, which has you unlocking extremely boring abilities like "bomb powerup lasts slightly longer."

[WavyGravy]

Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster

This one's weird. It's a very low-effort upscale of an incredible pair of GameCube RPGs. The gameplay is totally intact, there are a couple of QoL improvements, but man, this game looks like hot garbage while docked. The backgrounds have been upscaled from the GC originals in that lazy more-pixels-but-same-detail way that always really bothers me, but when it's docked they ALSO apply a really horrible sharpening filter to the whole thing. It's like if you've ever seen a really bad HDR photo where the colours are all overcooked and have fringing. It also has worse performance than the GC version and reflections and some transparencies are replaced with really bad dithering.

Weirdly, in handheld mode, the filter is gone and the performance is a lot better.

 

If you want BK1&2 portable, this is a fantastic buy. If you want to play the games on your couch, a GameCube and a CRT are still the way to go.

[Gamemoose]

Tunic

 

I've been very curious of this game since it was announced for the Switch.  One of my step sons kept saying that one of my twins "would love this game as you control a fox", though methinks HE wanted to play it more than she did!  When a physcal copy was announced I almost jumped at it but at the time my game budget was empty.  Recently I just happen to look online for the physical copy and found the local Best Buy had a copy (and only one left).  I pulled the trigger on getting it. 

 

The game itself does have "Legend of Zelda" DNA in it but there's more that makes the game its own.  You start out with nothing but eventually find a stick to fight with (which is in a chest...so it must be a very special stick).  The game really goes into presentation, including signs that are written in the animal language with just some English (on some signs) to state where locations are.  You also find instruction pages on your journey that explain how to do certain moves and the book expands as you find more pages. I'm wondering if there's going to be a translator ability that will allow you to read this stuff.  The game does seem a little fuzzy on the Switch compared to videos taken off of PC but the portability factor for me outweighs that.

 

So far the game is a bit tough and unforgiving but that all falls on me not being used to it yet.  You can do dashes and rolls to try and avoid damage, so the better you timing, the less chance of getting whacked.  I'm typically aggressive in old school Zelda-style games, so I just have to learn to be more patient.  It does use save points rather than a "save anywhere" option but so far that hasn't been obtrusive.  I got far enough to get the sword, though I died just as I grabbed it.  Luckily, I kept the weapon when I respawned.  I can't wait to poke at this some more.

 

Doom 64

 

Thia game made me queasy on original hardware.  It's the only FPS to do that, ever.  On the Switch I have no problem.  On the Switch version I can use the gyros to make subtle movements in case I need to be a little more accurate, which is a nice touch.  Then again, Doom is all about mowing down enemies with high caliber weapons, so it's not something that I use often but I'm still glad its there.  Beyond that, it's Doom...not much else to say.

[newtmonkey]

Zelda Musou: Hyrule All-Stars DX (aka Hyrule Warriors)

After playing some of the more modern Musou games on PS4 that do not run so well, it's pretty refreshing to play a Musou game that runs mostly around 60 fps.  This game really feels great to play, and it reminds me of playing the Musou games on the PS2, which mostly ran at 60 fps (with slowdown in busy scenes).  I think KOEI made a huge mistake back in the PS3/Xbox 360 era in focusing more on the number of characters on screen, and less on frame rate, because these games really feel so much better at 60 fps.

 

Anyway, I like what KOEI did with this game.  I think it still looks great today, with lots of enemies on screen, and very colorful and just pleasant to look at.  I also like how unique each character is to play; when you get thrown into a battle where you cannot use one of your usual characters, it's exciting to learn a new character.  It's also a lot of fun in between missions to upgrade your characters, fuse weapons, etc.  The best thing about the game, however, is that even though its a Musou game, it somehow really does feel like playing a modern Zelda game.

Edited September 23, 2023 by newtmonkey

[Gamemoose]

Tunic

 

I've put more time into this and I had to put it down out of not-fun frustration.  I've run the bell in the East Belltower and now I'm making my way to the West one.  I'm now running into some enemies that REALLY piss me off, not so much that they are hard but that I've found my surroundings get the best of me.  Another pain point is that some enemies just to decided to activate when you aren't near them. 

 

Take the "Fairie" for example.  They are set into the walls like stone picture frames.  Get to close and they activate, turning into floating sci-fantasy robo-drones that either shoot a beam of ice or a beam of fire.  They aren't totally bad but when you get three going, you can get swarmed pretty quick.  You can move and roll about to avoid the dangers or attempt to use your shield to repel the attack (which whittles your stamina).  When I entered this area, the attacks were more staggered and seemed more manageable in my mind.  You make your way past the floating pains, kill a couple of crocodile like things (which are fast to charge and bite but slow to turn and you get a lot of area to move around in).  Then a you go up a bit and drop a bridge to make getting to the fox save statue easier.  Using the Fox Save statue heals you and replenishes your potions BUT all the bad guys you killed are regenerated. 

 

This hasn't been a big issue until this instance.  I take the shortcut back so I can continue on my quest.  However, now that everything is respawned, the way is harder (at least for me).  One thing I discovered that I sometimes activate a Fairy that's on a bridge above me.  I learned to walk further away from it so it doesn't trigger.  When I get to the area with the two crocs, I have to walk by one Fairy.  But....when this Fairy pops out, suddenly in moments, out of sight, I get zapped by ANOTHER Fairy that was on a pillar I AM NOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO TRIGGER.  Then that gets into play.  Now you have these two pains buzzing you like flies and when dodging I trigger the crocs, who move in for the kill.  If I'm lucky, I can get the crocs zapped in a crossfire but most of the time I get chowed as I run out of stamina from juking and jiving.  I can get lucky and kill the fairies first and THEN maybe I can sneak past the crocs.  BUT...the next area has THREE fairies, that are near unavoidable, especially if you are being chased by a croc in a botched stealth attempt.  You can get past the trio BUT when you get to a place where you have to walk up an incline, they activate and now your movement is limited as you can't jump or fall off an edge.  This particular safety, which most of the time works fine, tends to mess up your perspective as in one area where a fairy is, there's a pool of water you can wade into.  If the fairy flies away from the pillar and out over similarly colored water to the south and west, you CAN'T go in as it's considered an edge. 

 

If I survive that, I meet up with 3 crocs who smell you when you do any ranged attack (like throwing a stick of dynamite, which has a timed explosion) and they are on you like flies to stink.  I get stuck in the environment (like little its of rock and such) trying to move to a choke point to maybe fight them one at a time.  No, you back up along a narrow walkway and the buggers climb OVER each other to eat you.  More than a few times I got backed into a corner, lost stamina as I couldn't get anywhere and got extra damage from bites.  I yanked the cartridge out.  I can handle games like "Kid Icarus" and similar potentially frustrating games but not this.  At least not right now.

 

Oh and the loading times are long.  I think scenes of "Shadowgate" on my Powerbook load faster from floppy than areas in this game.

 

Dave the Diver demo

 

After that festivity of frustration, I booted up the Dave Demo.  I wasn't sold on it at first but maybe this will clean my palette.  In a nutshell: you're a diver who is a partner of a sushi restaurant.  You dive into this "blue hole" that just appeared and gather up fish to be served up in a restaurant right off the shore.  You do this in the morning and afternoon.  In the evening you take your gilled gains, add them to the menu and then the next part of the game opens up: running the restaurant.  The sushi chef whips up the dishes that patrons order while you go fill drinks (using the right stick to pour, but make sure you pour the right amount!) and then deliver the meals.  The contest lasts for a few minutes but it goes fast.  You get your totals for the night and the game continues.  There's RPG elements (updating your gear to dive deeper, etc.) along with missions to accomplish (get flora and fauna for people, find artifacts, find items to have weapons built, etc.) and story arcs. 

 

It took me a bit to get used to the controls but it's starting to click.  My first couple "days" I didn't do too hot and on the third day I almost drowned my Dave, requiring a rescue and a loss of all but one of my finds.  I flubbed up on a dinner dash as I saw some icon floating (looked like a bowl of noodles with chop sticks) but I was dipped to know what to do with it.  That action cost me two customers who left in a huff.  The next day I had some researcher dude (Mr. Bacon) ask me to find an artifact to try and prove that a race of fish people lived in the hole at some point.  He gave me a suit upgrade and that's where I had to leave it.  The graphics for Dave, the cinematics and characters look very much like they came out of Lucasarts-style point and click games, which meshes well with the 3D graphics. I'm going to keep plugging away at the demo and see how deep it'll entice me to go.

[Gamemoose]

Dave the Diver demo

 

I finished up the demo last night.  As I progressed, the game started opening up a few more items that I could use that showed me the potential of what ol' Dave could do.  A harpoon that has a 40% chance of tranquilizing a fish, which will allow you to "slash and stash" them if the fishy does go down for a nap.  I finally acquired enough material to have a gun made, which is helpful against the fish that attack you (which you can also "shoot and stash").  After I acquired the artifact Mr. Bacon wanted, a large squid appeared in the background that looked at me rather menacingly.  I quick swam up to the surface and finished the day with some good sales.  I did run into that bowl of noodles again and found I had to tap the ZL and ZR to grab it or whatever.

 

I think I'll get it but I'll probably wait for a physical copy.  That way I can also play down what I've got in the queue.  Speaking of the queue....

 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

 

I have not touched this in a long time.  It was a late night so I couldn't do any shopping.  I squashed some roaches in my house and then did a little fashion show for Labelle.  I spoke to a visitor, Coach, that was hanging out in his tent.  I caught some bug (can't think of it right now) and happily donated that to a squeamish Blathers.  Annnnd....that's about it.  Battery was running low and time was running late so I closed it all up for the night.

[Asaki]

Still working on TotK. I think I'm almost finished, but I still have two shrines to find (no idea where they could be) and I'm sure there are a few side quests I'm missing.
I'll probably have to look the side quests up after I finish the game, like I did with BotW.
Missing some armor pieces too, and it will be quite some time before I have all of them upgraded >_< I never did upgrade all of them in BotW either.
8 wells left to find. Not sure how many Bubblefrogs/gems.

I am not concerned with Korok seeds. I'm not that much of a masochist.
...but I do still need to find the Hylian shield.

 

On 9/4/2023 at 11:01 AM, newtmonkey said:

Anyway, this is a massively upgraded version of the original 3DS game, which is Koei's Dynasty Warriors but in the Zelda universe.

 

I know these games get criticized for being dumb and repetitive, but I think (like usual) professional video game reviewers are missing the point.

 

The characters all have some unique aspects to them, but generally all play the same, which is disappointing.

The original game was on the WiiU 3DS version was a port. (at least that's the order they came out in America, not sure if Japan was the other way around)

 

I like them, but it is very repetitive. It was weird going to TotK and only being able to smash one monster at a time, lol.

I didn't get super far in the first game, but in the second game, the other characters are very different. I'm not a big fan of most of them, and try to stick with Link, but the story kind of forces you to use some of the other ones too.

 

On 9/23/2023 at 12:57 PM, newtmonkey said:

After playing some of the more modern Musou games on PS4 that do not run so well, it's pretty refreshing to play a Musou game that runs mostly around 60 fps.

Yeah, I remember the first game having a pretty decent framerate.
The second game, not so much =/ You get used to it, but it could definitely be better. It does at least seem to be a lot better than the demo was.

[Lord Mushroom]

My nephew got a Switch for his birthday, which was a bit excessive, but never mind. And I have played a little bit with him.

 

Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2

 

I don´t like that it is always split-screen. I think the way they handled it in a Lego Avengers game for PS3 was much better. Both players were on the same screen unless they were far apart.

 

I also think there are too many times when you don´t know what to do. Not my kind of game.

 

Super Kirby Clash

 

I actually like this game. I normally don´t like fighting games, but it is 4-player co-op with RPG elements. And it is free-to-play. My nephew is tired of it, but I am not.  It is really annoying that the game often automatically sets itself to single player, and then we have to make it 2-player again.

[newtmonkey]

Zelda Musou: Hyrule All-Stars DX

I have been slowly working my way through this game, and it's excellent.  The characters are more unique than I thought they were, and I love the clear, colorful graphics.  I also like that it sort of feels like playing a Zelda game, even though it's a KOEI Musou game.  You find treasure chests (complete with the classic OOT treasure opening animation), you can't jump, and you have all the classic Zelda sub-items (bombs, boomerang, hookshot, etc.).  There's even the "Adventure Mode" where you run around a map based on the original game.

 

More than all of that, I like the challenge even on Normal.  I actually had some trouble in the Sacred Temple level where you need to find three sacred statues so that your allies can go and activate them; all of your allies need to stay alive, so it was quite a fight to protect them.  I actually lost the mission during my first attempt, which is something that just never happens on Normal with a Musou game released in the last 20 years or whatever.  Granted, it was not a satisfying loss, since your allies are totally incapable of defending themselves, so you have to babysit them, but still.  I was impressed that a mainstream game released in 2018 even allows you to fail.  (I did complete the mission on my second attempt.)

[WavyGravy]

Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails

I loves me some Falcom, it has to be said. I got into the Trails series during the pandemic, and this one has eluded me for quite some time. Being both a sales flop AND stuck on the PSP, I kinda figured I'd never get to actually play this one, although I really wanted to, since it seems to be a merging of Ys, my favourite action RPG series, and the Trails series.
In actual play, it leans way harder into Ys, I'd say. Being stage-based in its action sequences, though, it's definitely its own thing, while the game plays like Trails during the town segments with you talking to well-developed characters and doing odd-jobs for them. It's slower and more deliberate than the Ys series, which is to say the combat is still very fast and fluid by any other standard, and given the roots of its formula, it's a lot of fun to rip through stages.
The quality of the remaster is quite good. Falcom had a pretty good handle on the PSP's quirks, and overcame them with an art style that played into the system's limitations. The Remake touches up a lot of texture work and brings the frame rate up to a solid 60 at 1080p, but leaves the geometry alone. It doesn't look bad for the most part, though. The flat planes and chunky look give it a really interesting "pop-up-book" feel to the visuals, and the great use of colour throughout helps drive that home. The audio is typical Falcom, which is to say incredible music and the same enemy death sounds we've been hearing since Ys 6, and it's all as great as ever. I can't comment on the English voice-acting because I always turn these things to Japanese because I have a harder time telling how bad the acting is when it's in a language I can't understand. It's very rare that I go for English VA in localized AA titles, the budget usually isn't there to make it great.
Overall, I'm having a lot of fun with it. It's not dong anything fancy, but it's absolutely nailing the fundamentals of an action RPG, and sometimes that's all you need for a good time. Solid recommendation from me.

[Asaki]

Almost done with TotK.
Three wells left to find...I'm about to give up on that one and look it up later.
I would like to at least find the Hylian shield before I face the final boss, but I don't even know where to look. If it's in the castle, I must have missed it. I missed one of the hats in there, too. I might just put "treasure chest" in the sensor and try to empty all the ones that just have worthless weapons in them >_<
-IF- it's even in a chest. I don't think it was in the first game.
Robbie's compendium might be able to help, but I was kind of slacking on filling in my own, and paying him to fill the rest is going to be quite costly.
Woof.