Tell us about what you played on the Switch today

[Tanooki]

Castlevania Legends finally wasn't ignorantly snubbed?  Sickens me that was not included in the Castlevania Collection that had the other two as it's a fine game, great no but it's fine and while not anywhere good as the 2nd it's better than the 1st.  I will never get the hate.

 

That said, I did get into finally using my switch again after a long month of not.

 

Took down 50ccs first two cups in Mario Kart, did some local-ish multi with the kid and a cousin for a little as well.  I followed that up doing the first world of New SMB U Deluxe as well, such a good game unlike the rest of the new series with all its wonk.  I'm hoping to take time with RDR today at some point.

[newtmonkey]

I'd been using the 8BitDo Pro 2 as a replacement for the standard Joy-Cons.  The feel of the controller is great, and the analog sticks are fine... but after playing some games using the dpad, I ended up very disappointed with the controller!  It might be fine with your typical side-scroller, but for anything relying on the diagonals, it's a disaster.  Just to make sure, I tried using the controller with my PC... and arrived at the same conclusion.  Typical for 8BitDo, the dpad feels fine at first, but is actually extremely poor when it comes to actually playing games, with very inaccurate diagonals.  You don't want to play a shmup with this controller, that's for sure!

 

I eventually settled on just using the standard Joy-Cons for modern games, and an 8BitDo M30 (which has an atypically awesome dpad) for "retro" games.  BTW, the M30 is just awesome, and I highly recommend it if for playing side-scrollers and shmups alike, whether on the Mega Drive (2.4ghz version), or on modern platforms (Bluetooth).  It's not only the best controller ever put out by 8BitDo, but arguably the best modern retro-styled gamepad out there.

[Tanooki]

Well I haven't done crap for posting since weeks ago.  The last two weeks my world largely has turned to shit, not appropriate here, but that said, in what free time I have I'm making time, still at least 1 or 2 days a week (evening) to put some time on RDR.  I'm taking a low/no progress approach to it really now that I've got that first town there unlocked, did one of the marshalls missions, took out a couple of mouthy gunfighters as well, and got one bounty too.  The water guy was a thing, didn't waste the time, so I killed the old man for his deed as well...whatever.  I'm just enjoying roaming a bit, being chill, and going after and hunting down animals to make a few bucks on their materials.  I don't know long or when I'd have the time to really care to dedicate to clearing that thing, but, hey I got it at half off and I'll find $30 of fun easily just poking about and slowly pushing it along to add more stuff into my pocket.  It's quite pretty on Switch which surprised me and plays exceptionally well.  I had it on PS3 and I really am not feeling it's worse for wear at all thankfully.

[Varanis Ridari]

The re-released 2008/9 Ghostbusters The Video Game.

 

Last performance of Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler (RIP), and holds a special place in my heart for that reason, plus it's just spot-on for mechanics regarding the proton pack and catching ghosts, even if some of the alt-fire modes are wonky.

 

Plays pretty great on Switch. Yeah, could have bought on Steam, but Ghostbusters has always been a franchise that feels good on a Nintendo console; and it's nice to see the "good" version of the game on a Nintendo system, as the last time around, the Wii had a dumbed-down port with cell shaded visuals and different levels.

 

Also of fun note: same developer and engine as the Bloodrayne games, and initially published by Atari when Activision backed out on it. Their loss, Atari's gain (like with the Riddick games too).

[newtmonkey]

Ken no Machi no Ihoujin (aka Stranger of Sword City)

     This is a dungeon crawler that's much like good old Wizardry, though it plays quite differently.  For example, you have spell points instead of spell slots, and can level up on the spot instead of having to return to town.  It's minor stuff to most people, but to a diehard Wizardry fan, it's different enough to require some adjustment.

     You get to create your entire party after a short tutorial, and in fact the game goes beyond even that and allows you to create a full roster of backup characters if you want.  When you create a character you can set his age; a higher age gives you a chance of higher bonus points to allocate to stats, but less "life points."  If a character dies, he loses one life point and needs to recover for a day at the infirmary... if he loses his last life point, he is permanently dead and cannot be raised.  You can recover lost life points by resting at the infirmary for a week.  This isn't measured in real-time, thankfully, but based on the number of battles you fight.

     One of the best things about this game is that you unlock multiple dungeons to explore once you get maybe an hour in to the game.  This means you never get frustrated with a difficult area or boss, since you can just go explore another dungeon.  You also have tons of abilities to play cautiously, including a special ability that lets you escape 100% from any battle immediately (other than bosses).  It's extremely fair for a dungeon crawler.

     Also nice is the sheer freedom you have in building your party.  There are a ton of classes, and they are all pretty unique.  You can also switch classes at any time, and you really don't lose anything from doing so... although a lot of stuff actually includes your level in the calculation, so you don't want to switch too often.

     If there is anything I don't like about the game, it's the story and dialog.  There's a TON of it, and it's absolutely boring.  It's made worse by the fact that only two lines of text can be displayed in the text box at a time, and there are also these ridiculous dramatic pauses in between text boxes for some reason.  Very tedious.

[Video]

Unravel 2. Your literally a couple of tied together yarn guys trying to get through a 2d side scrolling world. The graphics are amazing, and the puzzles range from easy to insanely hard, mostly due to how switching characters and control options works.

 

Great game, assuming a sequel, rather than a joke as you play two guys, I'd look for a first one.

[WavyGravy]

On 2/9/2024 at 12:49 PM, newtmonkey said:

I'd been using the 8BitDo Pro 2 as a replacement for the standard Joy-Cons.  The feel of the controller is great, and the analog sticks are fine... but after playing some games using the dpad, I ended up very disappointed with the controller!  It might be fine with your typical side-scroller, but for anything relying on the diagonals, it's a disaster.  Just to make sure, I tried using the controller with my PC... and arrived at the same conclusion.  Typical for 8BitDo, the dpad feels fine at first, but is actually extremely poor when it comes to actually playing games, with very inaccurate diagonals.  You don't want to play a shmup with this controller, that's for sure!

 

I eventually settled on just using the standard Joy-Cons for modern games, and an 8BitDo M30 (which has an atypically awesome dpad) for "retro" games.  BTW, the M30 is just awesome, and I highly recommend it if for playing side-scrollers and shmups alike, whether on the Mega Drive (2.4ghz version), or on modern platforms (Bluetooth).  It's not only the best controller ever put out by 8BitDo, but arguably the best modern retro-styled gamepad out there.

I've had the same experience with 8bitdo's SNES-style stuff. It really irks me when the D-pad gets praised in reviews, it is without a doubt the worst I've ever used and I have an Xbox 360 so that's saying something! The worst part is that it's an easily correctable design flaw that causes the false reads (basically, the contact switch that closes when you press a direction only has one break on the original Nintendo/Mitsumi design, where a single line bisects the contact pad vertically on left and right and horizontally on up and down. 8bitdo changed it so that every contact pad is the same and has been quartered by an X, meaning the diagonals fire WAY more than they're supposed to). They only get worse over time, too. I played Persona 5R on my PC and the D-pad was so bad that the crossword puzzles were nearly unplayable. The rubber membranes are also very poor quality and either tear or lose elasticity very quickly. I have 2 SN30 Pro controllers, and both of them are on their second set of button membranes, and both need a third because the B button doesn't return properly on either of them anymore.

TL;DR, don't buy any 8bitdo product that looks to be SNES-style. The internals are very poorly made and won't last. I really like their arcade stick, though.

I wound up with an attempt at a 2-prong strategy. I got a Gulikit KK3 Max for 3D games, and a Retrobit Wireless Saturn pad for 2D games. Unfortunately, the Saturn pad can't be remapped on the Switch, which is very odd, and it takes the literal inputs rather than being based on the positions of the buttons as they would map to a regular controller, so A on the Saturn pad reads as A on the Switch, but on a Switch controller, that A should be B. So muscle memory for literally everything on the system is backwards. Very annoying. Luckily, the KK3's D-pad is pretty serviceable, but we'll see about longevity as it's still pretty new.

 

EDIT: Just found out you can swap AB/XY on the Saturn pad by pressing Start and holding down on the d-pad. Praise be!

Edited February 26 by WavyGravy

[adamchevy]

I decided it was time to purchase another Switch Oled.  I picked up a Red one this time.  I have it hooked up to an Innocn A1F 15.6" portable Oled monitor, so I'm not sure why I needed an Oled model, but whatever.  

 

I decided to sign up for the online expansion pass this go around and order all of the Online controllers. I did this to eliminate emulation from my life, even though this is just emulation.  I lost interest in managing roms, folders, and emulators.   So far the controllers work amazingly well and have that original feel.  I played about 30 minutes in each Online category except the Gameboy.  I played Super Mario 64 and it felt great playing with the original controller.  I had previously played Mario Kart 8 and decided to see if the N64 online controller would work just like in Mario Kart 64.  It did! It was fun to play mario kart 8 and used the Z trigger underneath the analog stick to disperse shells. 

 

I played Super Mario World and Link to the Past for about 20 minutes each.  I have never played more than 20 minutes of Link to the past .  It seems like a great game.  I am looking forward to playing through it for the first time.  I also played Super Punch out for the first time.  I grew up playing Mike Tysons punch out on the Nes and this seemed similar at first, but after I got to the Hurricane guy I realized that the games are quite different mechanically.  Thankfully there are save states and the ability to rewind.  

 

I played 30 minutes of Minish cap and it is surprisingly a fun little Zelda game.  I like the art style and story so far.  It reminds me of a newer Link to the past with bigger sprites. I used the Snes Online controller and it felt right at home playing a GBA game.

 

Next I gave the Sega Genesis Online controller some play.  I played Thunder Force 2, and Alisia Dragoon.  I have never previously played either of these games.  I didn't have a Genesis growing up and have never owned one.   Strangely I went through a Sega CD phase for a few moths about 7 years ago and purchased an X'eye.  I had a 6 button genesis controller I used with the X'eye and the Online Genesis Dpad feels the same, but a little tighter. I assume because it is new.  I thought Thunder Force was pretty good for a 16 bit shooter.  I liked the ability to swap your shooting style with the push of a button.  It reminds me alot of later shmups that use this technique.  I really enjoyed Alisia Dragoon.  There's something satisfying about the way her sword hits enemies and I like her special abilities.  The sprites are also very large and detailed.  I think they look much better than Snes Sprites in many ways.

 

I played a few minutes of Super Mario Bros 3 to test out how accurate the Nes emulation is, and to see if the controllers are how I remember them.  I think the Dpad felt the same and so did the buttons.  Time will tell if they hold up like my old ones in the basement that still work.  I really like the ability to rewind these games during gameplay.  It makes the whole experience a lot better for an old man with slower reflexes.    I then played about 15 minutes of Ninja Gaiden.  It played just how I remembered it, and I didn't notice any lag in the controls.

 

The game I really purchased the Switch again to play was Tears of the Kingdom.  Oh, tears of the kingdom.  I want to like this game.  I think I enjoyed purchasing it and putting it on my shelf almost more than playing it so far.  I have put many hours into Breath of the Wild.  I think that's the problem.  That and I really haven't enjoyed the whole battery thing.  I also just want my paraglider back at the beginning.  Apparently you do get it back at some point.  Thats just one of my frustrations with this game.  I really think building things with the God hand mechanic is pretty fun, but it feels like a chore also somehow.  This game so far makes me really miss playing Breath of the Wild, and I actually repurchased it again after putting a few hours into Tears of the Kingdom.  They feel like completely different games somehow, and that's a good thing.  Breath of the Wild feels more like a pure exploration game with some neat mechanics and story tacked on.  Tears of the Kingdom feels like a moderately story based game combined with Minecraft, with some exploration and flying elements.  I'm not saying its a bad game or not a fun game, just different than I realized.  Its a bit more involved than I want to be in a single game right now in my life.  

 

The next games I am really looking forward to playing are Super Mario Rpg remake and Paper Mario Thousand year door.  I have never played either of these games and I think they both look great!

 

 

[Tanooki]

@adamchevy Tears is divisive.  I have it, and it's no Breath of the Wild.  You're right the hand is fun, but double edged as it is, too commonly becomes feeling like doing chores just to get around.  The glider comes up, and very early in the game, but the mechanic isn't as well or nicely used in the older title.  The most damning thing is you're right, it's a very different game even if it doesn't look it, it has a lot more busy work.  It also primarily is way way too big for its own good and pacing in it to move the % up a tenth of a point is a snails grind.  The game is the definition of a commitment, one you need a LOT of free time to do and a lot moments of free time ach moment or you'll get nowhere, ever, or it'll feel as such.  I was enjoying it and not, more not when I saw I did 3hrs and did almost nothing as far as progression goes...then I had a 7+ day power outage, that was last July and I never went back.  I don't hate it, but if time allows I'll just do Breath of the Wild again because Tears is 2-3x larger and all the more slower on top.

 

Those 2 Mario RPG games are the peak of a Mario RPG that wasn't the M&L universe on handhelds, you won't be disappointed, unless you look more into the lame Paper series, 1000 year door is on another planet quality wise.

[Video]

Spongebob squarepants battle for bikini bottom. Its a fairly generic platform type game featuring sho else? Everybody's favorite squishy yellow square dude. You can play as patrick, sandy and maybe some other dudes too. Collect shiny things (flowers) stinky socks, spatulas and other things. Love seeing the 3d rendition of a lot of favorite locations from the show. I don't know the origin of the game, but get the feeling its from a previous generation of consoles. Still a pretty fun game though.

[Tanooki]

The origin of the game was the Gamecube/PS2 as it's a 20 year old game that did well back then, both for fans, but in general was a better than the average junk style plaformer game, and as far as mascot stuff goes a rare non-stinker.  I never had it as I just don't deal in such things, but I've been tempted on PC if it were steam, very deep cut, and I happened to notice and was bored at the time I'd bite.

[adamchevy]

I decided to start Triangle Strategy today.  I just finished Tactics Ogre a few months ago and was needing some more SRPG in my life.  I'm about 8 hours in so far and I am really enjoying it.  I'm not to fond of the grinding you have to do in the encampment with replaying your previously fought battles.  But it is fun to go over your previous battles a couple times to see if you could have done better.  You also get some nice money and exp.  Overall I liked the 2DHD aesthetic in Octopath traveler, so I am really enjoying the way this game looks.  The story gets a lot of criticism in many of the reviews I've read.  I actually really like the story and find the added length very refreshing for an SRPG.  I think many online whiners may be of a younger age and don't really love a deep story.  I also really enjoy the gameplay mechanics and I think the classes are well done. Well so far anyway.  

[Video]

Cool to know Tanooki. I've always loved spongebob, both the shows and games, but missed this one somehow. Probably to much halo lol.

[Tanooki]

I never watched Spongebob when it was new, not really sure why since all ages seemed to love it because it was made just in a way where both kids got it and adults got the dirty humor that was suited just right so no kid would catch it making it 'safe.'  It's fun, I'll catch it when the mood suits, and my wife hates the character and ate the lies online that watching it medically as reported can make you dumber (some old wived bullshit story that's probably 20 years old now.)  My kid likes it seeing it in pieces elsewhere, so since she kind of proved it was nothing new to her we used to stream it in the car as a little secret.   We knocked off at least the first 5-7+ seasons of it over months.  I just never buy licensed games as almost always they're universally crap with a high point being mediocrity.  But Bikini Bottom seemed to have some developers who cared, cared like Rare did with Goldeneye to do the IP justice and the fact it ranks very high, got a remaster that also ranked very well too, that says a lot.

[Classic Pac]

I love Point and Click games, plenty of humor around. Started with at least on The Switch: Return to Monkey Island, it was pure fun. The on to Leisure Suit Larry Wet Dreams Don't Dry, my only real problem with the game is it's controls. More than a bit awkward, but playable. Then I hoped it's sequel Wet Dreams Dry Twice. Even though it was a legal download through Nintendo's eShop, buggy as hell.... totally unplayable. May get a physical copy. After a sidetrack to both Discworld games PS1. I started again with Sam and Max Save the World, total fun then on to Beyond Time and Space when I am done.

 

Got a really good deal on 4 Deponia games $1.99 for all of them. Looking forward to checking them out.

[Gamemoose]

Got back to some Switch action and played more into Animal Crossing.  I put fences around some homes to spruce things up and I was able to get KK Slider.  He had his concert and I got more stuff unlocked.  I also have Brewster on the way too.

 

I dove back into "Dave the Diver" Sunday.  It allowed me to continue from my demo save, which was a nice touch!  Starting again I felt like my Dave was incapable of doing much underwater but thankfully the game seems a bit generous with cash so I could upgrade my gear to go deeper and carry more stuff. 

 

I was able to get a staff recruiter (with the help of finally nabbing a particular shark for a dish this recruiter wanted- note that it seems like some tasks don't have a time limit, so don't beat yourself up if you can't get that task finished right away) and that teaches you about ads and hiring.  I trained my new dining room staff member and that has really helped!  At this point, my staff member can pour drinks and I had a TV ad out to hopefully get another chef.  

 

So far I'm liking the game more than I thought I would.  It seemed like busy work after the demo but there is a method to Mint Rocket's madness.

[Astro Rabby]

I got Princess Peach Showtime a few days ago. It's really good! A lot of variety in the gameplay with all the costumes.

[bradhig1]

just beat madam butterfly on princess peach showtime. Peach leave your dress alone when walking and she doesn't need that white junk under it which she didn't have in super princess peach.

[+jgkspsx]

Another Code ReCollection

How it started:

 

 

How it's going:

 

[Asaki]

I still need to finish Odyssey, but I've been too busy with the Wii U lately.

[Gamemoose]

More "Dave the Diver" for me. I'm on the next chapter and am really going to great depths to get into this game!  I now have a second cook and the bar is really ramping up!  I now have to do night dives to get some nocturnal seafood so I have to figure out how to manage that and bar time (as I skimmed through the part of time skipping). 

[jerseystyle]

2 hours ago, Gamemoose said:

More "Dave the Diver" for me. I'm on the next chapter and am really going to great depths to get into this game!  I now have a second cook and the bar is really ramping up!  I now have to do night dives to get some nocturnal seafood so I have to figure out how to manage that and bar time (as I skimmed through the part of time skipping). 

Haha I just started Dave The Diver yesterday! Really fun game. I’m on Chapter 2. I like how it can be as high or low stakes as you’d like. 

[Gamemoose]

30 minutes ago, jerseystyle said:

Haha I just started Dave The Diver yesterday! Really fun game. I’m on Chapter 2. I like how it can be as high or low stakes as you’d like. 

Definitely! It's a style I'm not used to and honestly was kinda rubbing the borders of my "comfort zone" (if it has too many fiddle bits to have to focus on, it can be a bit much and turns from fun to chore). However, how the game does dole out events, quests and such and it's pace, it's so far hitting that sweet spot for me. I *want* to keep playing and that's a good thing for a modern game to me.

 

I've been switching up my days to go fishing during one point and then mission seeking the next. We'll see how night diving goes (where it just uses 1/3 rd of your bar opening time-risk reward I guess).

[jerseystyle]

2 minutes ago, Gamemoose said:

Definitely! It's a style I'm not used to and honestly was kinda rubbing the borders of my "comfort zone" (if it has too many fiddle bits to have to focus on, it can be a bit much and turns from fun to chore). However, how the game does dole out events, quests and such and it's pace, it's so far hitting that sweet spot for me. I *want* to keep playing and that's a good thing for a modern game to me.

 

I've been switching up my days to go fishing during one point and then mission seeking the next. We'll see how night diving goes (where it just uses 1/3 rd of your bar opening time-risk reward I guess).

Man once I got the fish farm rolling, that’s been helpful.

[harmonyFM]

I’ve been playing the Danganronpa 1 and 2 ports. They’re pretty faithful, the performance isn’t great but it wasn’t any better on the Vita. Next up is Phoenix Wright. I’m tryin’ to work through my recommendations backlog