Nintendo Switch: Thread 06

[wakka]

I expected this; upon playing the demo I was put off because there was a 13-step tutorial before you could actually play, where it was like a fighting game, where a star move beats a focus move, a focus move beats a superstar power slice, a flimblemedoo beats a supersappato, a googlemunch can be charged into a suplex-smash...

I think it's probably a great game, butwhile MarioKart has loads of stuff on top of the racing, it's still a racing game. You can start and you pick it up as you go. Aces didn't feel like a Nintendo game.

It's still a racing game, yeah, but if you don't know what you're doing with the weapons you'll still be stuffed, as they're such a core part of the game. Mario Tennis has got a bit more of a learning curve than Kart, but I don't think that's a terrible thing necessarily.

Nintendo should patch in some more options for the 'pure tennis' mode, but I don't really know what people expected out of a Mario Tennis game. Obviously it's going to be jazzed up with fantasy elements. I think they've done a really good job with it - the last thing I'd want out of a Mario Tennis game is a purely straight version of tennis played by Mario characters in the Mushroom Kingdom. That would be boring!

[Asura]

It's still a racing game, yeah, but if you don't know what you're doing with the weapons you'll still be stuffed, as they're such a core part of the game. Mario Tennis has got a bit more of a learning curve than Kart, but I don't think that's a terrible thing necessarily.

Nintendo should patch in some more options for the 'pure tennis' mode, but I don't really know what people expected out of a Mario Tennis game. Obviously it's going to be jazzed up with fantasy elements. I think they've done a really good job with it - the last thing I'd want out of a Mario Tennis game is a purely straight version of tennis played by Mario characters in the Mushroom Kingdom. That would be boring!

I think a better example is Sega Superstars Tennis. You might think it's good or bad, fine, but the core gameplay was essentially Virtua Tennis with the occasional special move.

Mario Tennis Aces seems a great game. I didn't say that I disliked it; just that I would argue it has many abstractions that distance it from tennis to the point where it feels more like a fighting game in tennis form. That might be a good game but I can see why many people would be disappointed with it.

Think about Mario Golf. It's got many Nintendo elements but it's still a golf game. Also the Mario/Sonic Olympic games, which have the "Dream Events" but their core game is still essentially a Track-and-Field-style game. If the latter was just the Dream Events then that would be different.

[wakka]

Yes, that's fair. I guess that for me, Aces was exactly what I was looking for out of a Mario Tennis game - something pretty abstracted from actual tennis, as you point out. You do need to have some core skills at the basic rallying in Aces to be decent at it, too, so it's not a million miles away from a 'normal' tennis game, but it does have more going on in terms of supers and specials than we've seen from most fantasy/knockabout tennis titles in the past. I guess it's a case of YMMV on whether you want that or not (seems quite a few players don't!).

[Nu-Eclipse]

Every other Mario Tennis game allows you to play games with classic rules if you prefer so there isn't really any reason for Aces to be different.

You'd have to imagine that Nintendo will surely patch these options in via a future update.

[Neon Ignition]

Kodi seems to be getting ready to work on special Switches

[Dogg Thang]

I don’t know what this means.

[Neon Ignition]

Nothing major, just another small step towards making the Switch the ultimate handheld companion - essentially means it'd be easy to store and watch video files on the system

[QualityChimp]

Adding Netflix and Prime support would be a nice official support, to be honest.

[cutmymilk]

If it didn't guarantee an online ban hacking the switch is a no brainer. Unfortunately nintendo make games that I quite enjoy online.

[Asura]

If it didn't guarantee an online ban hacking the switch is a no brainer. Unfortunately nintendo make games that I quite enjoy online.

Thinking I might thrash through Splatoon 2's single player and expansion soon, because I may sell my copy when the online fee comes in. I'm not paying the fee just for Splatoon 2, even though I love it.

[dataDave]

Isn't it about a quid a month?

[Asura]

Isn't it about a quid a month?

The cost itself isn't the issue. It's because there's no reason to pay for it, at least none that Nintendo have provided.

The games are peer-to-peer, so there are no servers (other than a matchmaking server, the costs of which are so miniscule as to be irrelevent). The game isn't getting any more content after Christmas (it was going to finish in August) so you're not paying for that either. That and Splatoon 2 is having big problems online with hackers, which creates problems when the game is peer-to-peer.

Nintendo are just arbitrarily asking people to pay, which they're absolutely entitled to do; it's their product - but similarly I'm able to decide whether or not that is worth my money.

Splatoon 2 is great but I've played loads of it (and the first game too); if I had to "park it" now, I wouldn't feel short-changed.

Now, I'm not against the concept of paying for an online Nintendo service on some kind of ideological basis; I just don't think what they're offering is good value-for-money.

[Brad]

I told my kids I was holding out for a physical version of Minecraft. It is now out. Anyone played the new bedrock edition?

Yes. Runs much better than before. Good upgrade.

[Neon Ignition]

It's likely open and shut case situation where the hacking side of things are with Switch until they can get Mariko onto shelves. For those worried about bans (for the very little that locks you out from) a spare Switch screen can be picked up for around £120 which is nothing considering what many hackers will get from the accessed unit. It's essentially choosing between playing Smash Bros online matches or having the greatest handheld console of all time. Doesn't help at all that Nintendo have utterly failed to deliver obvious basic functions the system is blatantly easily capable of.

[Neon Ignition]

When you see something and then can't unsee it