Official Nintendo Switch Discussion Thread

[N3ON]

Which Nintendo console is best is a debate that will never conclude. There is no answer that will appease everyone.

All I contend is that none of the six home consoles from Nintendo has had a "bad" selection of first-party offerings. Small? Sometimes. But bad, no. Not yet.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

We have like...a gajillion Smash NX threads...

Perhaps we should start making character support threads too. I am going to make one for Jack from Harvest Moon because he's obviously the number one most likely newcomer. （^人^）

 

[Cheezey Bites]

Who even owns his rights in the West?

And hey this is the general NX thread, not a Smash one.


As for bad libraries the only Ninty console I consider to have one is the Virtual Boy, even the GBC's incredibly small library managed two of my favourite Zelda's and the Pokémon Platinum. In terms of library I wouldnt say GBC was good, but the games that we to it were great and it's enhanced backwards compatibility did make up for its own lack of games quite well.

 

[Zerinus]

imo, you can't even compare the GC lineup w/ the Wii U lineup. There's so many underrated hidden gems.

 

[Deleted member]

My apologies on that hope it does come out at least by Summer but anyway I hope Wii U is rbered fondly despite all it's shortcomings.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

We have like...a gajillion Smash NX threads...

Perhaps we should start making character support threads too. I am going to make one for Jack from Harvest Moon because he's obviously the number one most likely newcomer. （^人^）

Isn't that what the Character Support Group is for? >.>

That said, I want more NX info. D:

 

[dream1ng]

Isn't that what the Character Support Group is for? >.>

That said, I want more NX info. D:

Well, we might've gotten some today, hey?

https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoNX/comments/5330mx/leak_release_date_of_botw_and_nx_accidentally/

Supposedly coming on March 4th.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Isn't that what the Character Support Group is for? >.>

That said, I want more NX info. D:

I was being sarcastic since I find it strange we have so many Smash NX threads when we don't really k own if it's actually true.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

I was being sarcastic since I find it strange we have so many Smash NX threads when we don't really k own if it's actually true.

I didn't notice the second paragraph was sarcastic(first one was obvious though). Welp.

Actually, we got... 2 Smash NX thread here? The other ones are kind of a more generic Smash ideas, not necessarily for NX. But yeah, I get what you mean.

 

[Deleted member]

Super Smash Bros. NX is a big question mark I hope it does happen because it definitely be a game I'd get Nintendo NX for but we'll see in time. Until then onward to Nintendo NX's unveiling whenever it is. They really do gotta unveil this thing soon though.

 

[finalark]

Super Smash Bros. NX is a big question mark I hope it does happen because it definitely be a game I'd get Nintendo NX for but we'll see in time. Until then onward to Nintendo NX's unveiling whenever it is. They really do gotta unveil this thing soon though.

Smash NX isn't a question of if, but when.

Nintendo launching a new major console with no plans to include a new installment in a well-known, best selling franchise that's known to push consoles? Yeah, I doubt it.

 

[Deleted member]

Yeah to true I see two versions the port and hopefully a new one we'll find out in time though. Anyway back to NX talk.

 

[LancerStaff]

N64's lineup garbage?

That's funny.

The only two games I've ever gone back to on the N64 are Pilotwings and Starfox. Zeldas were alright, B&Ks were the only collectathons I've ever enjoyed... Everything else was forgettable.

Say what you will of the GC and Wii U's third party support, but the N64 might as well had none.

This is your opinion. I don't agree with it, I think that MKDD and Melee are miles above MKWII and Brawl due to the more complex and satisfying nature of mastery you get with both games over their Wii sequels. But it's your opinion.

You seem like a man who holds a love of 2D platformers above all else. In that case, I can totally see why the N64 and the GCN don't do much for you. The genre was pretty dead during those time periods.

For me, as a man who likes 2D platformers but loves many other genres over it, the Wii U has been disappointing and underwhelming.

Melee has competitive merit, but to me it's the exact opposite of what I want in a fighting game and is quite underwhelming casually. Brawl's still fun casually and had a single player mode worth playing.

Double Dash... Is as broken as MKW. Maybe you didn't realize since it lacks online or you prefer the Koopa/Accel kart snaking meta, but to me it doesn't make a difference. MKW's balance at least didn't fall apart at a casual level and didn't control like a bus on ice.

One man's trash is another's treasure. Nintendo can't please everybody.

There is a difference between saying something is bad and expressing personal displeasure with something.

Because otherwise you're saying two Pokemon gens, the Oracle Zelda games (which apparently had bad combat), and probably a Wario Land or two (apparently far inferior to Shake It) are better than the entirety of the 64 (since pretty much all the other notable GB games were released during the NES or SNES's tenure). If that's an opinion you want to hold that's fine, but to conflate it with fact is where you'll run into a lot of opposition, as great as the Pokemon games were.

I don't think you understand how little I care for the N64...

3D Zeldas usually had bad combat. 2D games were decent at least.

The older Wario Land games haven't aged well... The ones I've played are experimental and weird.

 

[Dr.Megaman]

Mfw it's Oct. 1st

 

[dream1ng]

imo we've got until about halfway through October without the NX reveal before worrying about a delay might be warranted.

But Nintendo is really pushing it.

 

[Ura]

imo we've got until about halfway through October without the NX reveal before worrying about a delay might be warranted.

But Nintendo is really pushing it.

I really don't know why they wouldn't just reveal the console in the first week of this month. For real. I don't see the big difference between revealing right now VS revealing later on in the year when there's so much things going on.

The only thing that makes sense now is if Niny is planning to reveal the NX alongside the launch of Super Mario Run in December to get that huge playerbase to watch the NX reveal as well. At least that would be understandable though having a 3 month window to launch your console is not good from a marketing and advertising PoV. Unless the dreaded D word is going to be used in the reveal.

 

[Zerinus]

It might reveal in November.
Nintendo is reserving a spot in their building in New York for something in November.

 

[Ura]

It might reveal in November.
Nintendo is reserving a spot in their building in New York for something in November.

Probably another Disney game lol.

 

[Zerinus]

Probably another Disney game lol.

Oh god

 

[Ura]

Oh god

That's pretty much what all their private events at Nintendo NYC were for lol.

 

[DragonBlade64]

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/788900063833493504?lang=en

IT"S HAPPENING

 

[N3ON]

Here we go everyone~

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

I'm not sure what I (realistically) want announced the most. A new Mario Kart, a new Super Mario 3D game(as in being in 3D, not a continuation of the 3D subset of games. Not that those are bad, of course, I just want a new 3D game)...

Of course, the release date and basic specs, as well as the controller are my most expected. Only thing we may not see is the specs just yet, but the other two are really needed at this point. Especially the controller design.

 

[finalark]

I am cautiously optimistic.

Well, at least it has a normal-ass controller for once.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

It looks excellent.

 

[LancerStaff]

Looks cool. Immediately the new Mario looks like 64 gameplay wise but then they play with two players which makes me think it's not.

Really hope it's not.

Pretty sure we saw GC Yoshi's Island on the new Mario Kart, and there was a lot of old stuff like the karts. Probably an MK8+ which I'm happy with. Wonder what the second item slot is for...

Splatoon looks like a sequel using the same engine. New areas, actual hairstyles, and importantly there's no gamepad map so I don't think it'll be an update on Wii U.

 

[MrGameguycolor]

 

[N3ON]

Updated the title, will update the OP when I get a chance.

Glad Nintendo is still making console titles I can make sex jokes about. xP

 

[Deleted member]

Guess I'll play devil's advocate and say that I found the overall reveal to be underwhelming tbh.

Nintendo shows enthusiasm for eSports, but once again, ignores the community that ACTUALLY has a competitive scene already. NEAT.

Console looks like an upgraded WiiU, now with full portable capabilities. Nvidya Tegra Custom means it'll be less powerful than the PS4 and Xbone, both of which just upgraded to the Neo and Scorpio, and that the console will be prone to catching fire. We only saw 4 new games by Nintendo, all of which were totally expected, which makes you wonder what Nintendo's been doing all this time that the WiiU has been waiting for its burial. Not to mention, BotW and Skyrim both showed considerable frame rate drops when going portable, and the console seems to lack the ingenuity and creativity behind the dual screen and asymmetric gameplay aspects of the WiiU, none of which were ever taken full advantage of. Console seems more social, which is a good angle, but like always, a console needs games to be successful, and consoles become social based on the games that are trending. Which again, means it needs 3rd party support. Which has been promised... Again. But that was also promised with the WiiU, and with the console underperforming (AGAIN), I'm not holding my breath for most of those companies staying on board.

Rumored price point is at $399, which is FAR too steep for what it is. No VR support, stuck to its own gimmicks again. Idk. Personally, I'm gonna pass. I don't see the Switch being much of a success tbh.

Hate to rain on people's parade, but I wouldn't get too sucked into the hype of the reveal. None of what we've seen is beyond what's been leaked, and furthermore, like before the WiiU launch, people are exaggerating the performance of this console based on hope, and then arguing against any criticism of the console's power with "graphics don't matter" or "Nintendo doesn't compete directly."

The Switch MIGHT do well if pushed as a serious competitor against the mobile market, as an HD portable console. But the Vita already tried that, and failed horribly. Switch fails in that it's far more bulky, awkward, and clunky than the Vita. It would need some serious dime piece software to make it worthwhile I'd say. But the mobile market is very lucrative, easy to develop for, and most of all, still growing. We're already starting to see more and more ambitious games come out in that market, many of which push the power and capabilities of smartphones. Moreover, in just a couple years, we'll likely see Smarthphone that far surpass the capabilities of the current ones on the market, especially with South Korea investing into 4k screens. The biggest drawback to ALL portable device, including the Switch, is battery life. Which is my other big issue with this console. It'll have a hard time being a worthwhile killer app, if the battery life doesn't break into over 4 hours, which, for a 720p screen, I seriously doubt it will. Simply put, the tech doesn't exist yet, and the few breakthroughs we do have, are very costly.

The average consumer will look at the Switch, and wonder why they don't just get the newest smarthphone instead. Especially since most today can do VR, among other things. For a gamer, most are realizing that modern phones can pretty much emulate everything from the PS2 back.

On the console side, it simply won't compete with the Neo and Scorpio. And the PS4 already has the biggest install base out of the current gen systems. So that's who most 3rd party devs will develop for. Microsoft alone is already having a hard time competing with Sony. And moreover, PC gaming is making a comeback. So that's dead to.

So my verdict, all things considered, the Switch at best will be a good "secondary console" for gamers, and may or may not appeal to casuals as a killer app, but it's doubtful in the current scene. It's nothing truly revolutionary like VR, the ability to play games on the go is more clunky and cumbersome than otherwise, especially since couch experiences are very different from portable experiences, from a design standpoint, both of these games are designed differently. So a seamless transition won't go well. I can at least tell you, I certainly wouldn't enjoy playing Skyrim or Zelda in public, those games are more immersive and require much more focus. So, if secondary console is the best outcome for the Switch, then why the hell did they lobotomize the WiiU? Which, had it had SOME support this last year in terms of releases, would have been prime for a that position as it already has a decent library, and the promise of a future. The Switch is a new gamble, and a new promise that THIS time, they'll get it right. Ready for the next batch of Mario, Zelda, Kirby, MK, Smash, which the ignore the franchises that you loved playing many years ago.

I remember when Nintendo console launches were full of awesome games ready to play right from the get go. Things to be excited about, and things to explore. A new Mario games was EXCITING, now it's just trudging through the same old formula again.

Idk, maybe I'm just jaded. But I bought the WiiU, and overall was pretty underwhelmed. So I at least, won't be buy the Switch, and I would advice anyone getting overexcited over the reveal, to hold off at least two years before jumping in.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

Updated the title, will update the OP when I get a chance.

Glad Nintendo is still making console titles I can make sex jokes about. xP

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Young lady, we do not make sex jokes in threads like these!

 

[finalark]

Idk, maybe I'm just jaded. But I bought the WiiU, and overall was pretty underwhelmed. So I at least, won't be buy the Switch, and I would advice anyone getting overexcited over the reveal, to hold off at least two years before jumping in.

I think this is a pretty universal law for all consoles period.

Although on that note I'll say that I wasn't blown away by the Switch. We caught a glimpse of a new 3D (not isometric) Mario game, which looks pretty cool. Maybe there's a new Splatoon and Mario Kart, but those could also be ports with a few new features. Assuming that's true, all I've seen so far are ports of games we've already played, Breath of the Wild aside.

Assuming that what we saw is the proposed launch line up, it looks like it will be games most of us have played before. Really hoping we can get a few original titles confirmed to be in development before launch.

 

[Deleted member]

I think this is a pretty universal law for all consoles period.

Although on that note I'll say that I wasn't blown away by the Switch. We caught a glimpse of a new 3D (not isometric) Mario game, which looks pretty cool. Maybe there's a new Splatoon and Mario Kart, but those could also be ports with a few new features. Assuming that's true, all I've seen so far are ports of games we've already played, Breath of the Wild aside.

Assuming that what we saw is the proposed launch line up, it looks like it will be games most of us have played before. Really hoping we can get a few original titles confirmed to be in development before launch.

I agree.

Also. That's the rule I had when I got the WiiU, after buying the Wii at launch and having barely anything to play after TP and Brawl. I bought the WiiU MK8 bundle about a month before Smash came out. Got a bunch of games, had a sizeable back catalog of stuff to play, was excited by Splatoon, and SMM, and Fatal Frame, and XCX, and Zelda, and Star Fox, as well as what was to come after.

Verdict:
Smash was great rosterwise, but I found the gameplay very lacking, and even unbalanced as a fighting game, but I had my fun.
Splatoon was alright, when the servers wanna work.
SMM was disappointing.
Fatal Frame wasn't scary.
XCX was very disappointing.
Star Fox was a "reimagination" of a game I've played 3 times now, but with a needless gimmick tacked on.
and I'm still waiting for Zelda.

All of that would have been forgivable, if the WiiU had a future, if there was more stuff to look forward to for it, but 3 years into its life, all support was pretty much dropped, and for people who might argue that this might be standard for Nintendo, 4 year cycles. I disagree. WiiU too TWO years to get started. It followed the same pattern the Wii had, where consumers had to wait for Nintendo's big hitters to trickle out. This is why the Wii had an unusual 6 year cycle, because it had a slow start. But traditionally, Nintendo consoles launch with a strong line up of must play exclusives, and shortly after release most of their main franchises: Metroid, Zelda, Kirby, FZero, Star Fox, etc...

For comparison, Gamecube had 2 Star Fox games, a console Fire Emblem, 2 Metroid Prime titles, an FZero game, 2 Zelda games, various Kirby entries, various DK entries, 1 mainline Mario, Melee in its launch year, and a ****ton of new IP like Custom Robo, Pikmin, and Animal Crossing, as well as various 2nd and 3rd party exclusives like Resident Evil 4, and the Sonic games, and many must have multiplats like Soul Calibur.

WiiU on the other hand, 2 non-mainline Mario games to play for the longest time, as stuff slowly trickled in. It got Smash 3 years into its lifespan. 2 Zelda remasters, with the mainline Zelda pending still, 1 StarFox game, 1 DK game, 1 Pikmin game, no mainline Animal Crossing, no Metroid, no FZero, Kirby and Yoshi spinoffs, 1 new IP, piss for 3rd party support outside Platinum Games, and one notable 3rd party exclusive in the form of Bayonetta, on top of missing out on all the main multiplats.

Prior to the WiiU, the N64 had the weakest line up, but it also had Rare, and even if we count them out of the picture, its library still puts the WiiU to shame. And the 64 ALSO suffered from having a slow trickle of games come in in the beginning.

This is what I see when I look at the state Nintendo is in. I remember the days when a new FZero, a new Metroid, and a new Zelda were all a given, rather than the big exciting thing. The big exciting thing was seeing WHAT Nintendo would do with their old IP, and what else they would think of next. Innovation came forth in the way of cool new game ideas that expanded their pantheon, not in attaching gimmicks to consoles in hopes of appealing to the casual audience. There was a time when Nintendo WOULDN'T hold some of their mainline IP for ransom because they didn't sell as well as others. Metroid came out, because they wanted to explore what they could do with the franchise in terms of game design based on what fit the IP, Star Fox was pushed forward in new directions rather than rehashing nostalgia from people who grew up in the 90s (hey remember that game you played as a kid that you really liked? Well, we made it AGAIN!!), and Nintendo had diversity in their game design. They weren't afraid of having games that appealed to hard core gamers alongside their more kid friendly, casual IP. Games like Eternal Darkness, and FZero GX, and Melee. Now it seems like very game they make has to be casualized to hell in order to appeal to a broader demographic.

This is what I see as a longtime Nintendo fan. As someone who's been with them since 1993, and has owned all their mainline consoles at some point or another. As someone who grew up with Nintendo in the 90s. Nostalgia pandering might have worked during the Wii gen, but at this point, I'm just tired of it, as it compensates for a severe lack of focus in the type of games that are meant to appeal to ME. The Nintendo I remember, who made GOOD games, and PUSHED the industry forward, rather than move off to the side and do their own thing.

So when I look at the NX (now the Switch), and all the surrounding hype (or rather, cycle of hype, as this happens every gen now), I wonder if people see the same as me. Because all I see is another underpowered gimmick machine, meant to appeal to a broad audience, with a very weak lineup of ACTUAL games. It kinda feels like it's hip and cool to like Nintendo now, and thus, many people blindly buy into everything they turn out without much thought. Just like how everyone seems to have gone from the "Pokemon is for virgin weebs" phase, to "Oh man, I LOVE Pokemon" and I mean adults my age. There was literally a bar crawl a few months ago with a Pokemon Go theme, full of American tourists hunting Pokemon in Madrid. So I feel Nintendo gets the same level of respect and hype these days, excessive reverence in fact, and as a longtime fan, it's just disappointing, as I remember when they were MUCH better than this, back when I liked them, and everyone thought "that gay Mario **** is for kids," and now I see the slow state of decay they're in, and I just think: "Man, I really DO wish Nintendo would go 3rd party now, since their hardware totally sucks, and I'm only interested in playing their games." I really DON'T feel like dishing out 1000s of bucks on multiple game consoles anymore, and it sucks missing out on other stuff because as an adult, I don't really spend enough time gaming anymore to justify an investment in various gaming consoles. Those are my sentiments on this whole deal at least.

It's cool that other people are hyped. Enjoy it I guess, but also, brace for disappointment, because at least for me, their "risky move" of killing the WiiU early, a console that was meant to be "our lesson is learnt, this is for our fans, and for gamers" it's effectively killed all my confidence in their products and brand.

 

[Cheezey Bites]

For comparison, Gamecube had 2 Star Fox games, a console Fire Emblem, 2 Metroid Prime titles, an FZero game, 2 Zelda games, various Kirby entries, various DK entries, 1 mainline Mario, Melee in its launch year, and a ****ton of new IP like Custom Robo, Pikmin, and Animal Crossing, as well as various 2nd and 3rd party exclusives like Resident Evil 4, and the Sonic games, and many must have multiplats like Soul Calibur.

I only remember 1 Star Fox, there was definitely not another one, that never happened. Also there were Kirby and Donkey titles, but only 1 Kirby game that didn't get canceled and none of the DK games were good. Animal Crossing was also a port of a (admitedly Japan only) N64 game not a new IP. Resident Evil 4 wasn't exclusive, it was timed and even announced it's PS2 launch date before the GCN version released, the Sonic Adventure games are practically unplayable bad glitchy ports from the Dreamcast, and most of the 'must play' Multiplats had reduced textures and sound quality to accommodate the tiny discs. You're way over-selling the GCN.

Don't get me wrong, the Wii U is a mess and way worse, but don't pretend Gamecube was anything but a disappointment.

 

[FrostyLemon]

I only remember 1 Star Fox, there was definitely not another one, that never happened. Also there were Kirby and Donkey titles, but only 1 Kirby game that didn't get canceled and none of the DK games were good. Animal Crossing was also a port of a (admitedly Japan only) N64 game not a new IP. Resident Evil 4 wasn't exclusive, it was timed and even announced it's PS2 launch date before the GCN version released, the Sonic Adventure games are practically unplayable bad glitchy ports from the Dreamcast, and most of the 'must play' Multiplats had reduced textures and sound quality to accommodate the tiny discs. You're way over-selling the GCN.

Don't get me wrong, the Wii U is a mess and way worse, but don't pretend Gamecube was anything but a disappointment.

Starfox Adventures and Assault

 

[Deleted member]

I only remember 1 Star Fox, there was definitely not another one, that never happened. Also there were Kirby and Donkey titles, but only 1 Kirby game that didn't get canceled and none of the DK games were good. Animal Crossing was also a port of a (admitedly Japan only) N64 game not a new IP. Resident Evil 4 wasn't exclusive, it was timed and even announced it's PS2 launch date before the GCN version released, the Sonic Adventure games are practically unplayable bad glitchy ports from the Dreamcast, and most of the 'must play' Multiplats had reduced textures and sound quality to accommodate the tiny discs. You're way over-selling the GCN.

Don't get me wrong, the Wii U is a mess and way worse, but don't pretend Gamecube was anything but a disappointment.

Star Fox SNES
Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 3DS
Star Fox Zero

All essentially the same game. I know I fall in the minority in being one of the few that liked Assault. Flawed game, but it had tons of potential. Something like Assault with more polish, more Arwing segments, and competitive online on the WiiU would have been boss. I never played Adventures, and I couldn't muster more than 10 mins of Command.

RE4, while timed exclusive, was pretty much seen as a GCN title. Everyone I knew had that game on the GCN. The DK and Kirby games I never played, well, except for Air Raid, which I really liked. But I heard that the DK games were a lot of fun for spinoffs. Adventure 2 Battle was great on the GCN, the multiplayer aspect added a lot to an otherwise very mediocre game. Me and my friends played that a lot too. Animal Crossing was known as a GCN IP by everyone in the west, no point in arguing semantics here man. The GCN was far from a disappointment. Underwhelming? Sure. but so was anything else not called the Playstation 2. That console is easily one of the best ever, and it killed SEGA and cannibalized its competitors. Everyone pretty much owned a PS2 and a GCN and was very happy with both. My weekend sessions with my friends consisted of hours of Melee and Soul Calibur 2 on the GCN, and then some rounds of Guilty Gear XX and DBZ Budokai 3 on the PS2. I had fond memories of both consoles. Which is more than I can say for the Wii and Wii U. Let's also not forget the GCN had easily the best Smash Bros, the best Mario Kart, the best FZero, two of the best Metroid entries in the franchise, not withstanding all the interesting spinoffs, and all the new IP, again, like Pikmin, Eternal Darkness, Tales of Symphonia, Mario Strikers, etc... GCN was a solid machine. Biggest blow to it was the loss of Rare, but if we take them out of the picture, and compare the GCN library to the 64 library without Rare, and GCN is a clear winner, despite the overblown reverence OoT and SM64 get. GCN had a lot more diversity to it. Rare literally made the 64 what it was.

Imo, GCN was their last good console before they jumped ship with the Wii.

 

[SimonBarSinister]

I can't say I'm blown away by the Switch, it just looks like they mashed the Wii and Wii U together to form this thing. Was this really Nintendo's solution to their previous problems? Anyway, it looks like another console that's more gimmicky than it has any business being. I feel as if this phase they're going through is going to ensure their demise one day. That might be a long time coming, though (as much as I don't want that to happen).

The main controller looks somewhat clunky and uncomfortable (much like the Gamepad), and the button placement leaves much to be desired. Like the right stick hanging just underneath the face buttons looks like it might be a potential obstruction if I try to hold it. And the D-Pad is no longer a D-Pad, but D-Buttons (yes, I'm calling them that)? I know that was by design to make the halves function similar to the Wii remote should the need arise, but still. The Switch Pro controller looks like a solid piece though, so that might be my go to controller. I gotta say, I really wish Nintendo would settle on a standard controller design for their consoles like the others have done (preferably one based on the GCN controller).

I think there are a few upsides to this, like the lessened possibility of splitting development teams into console and handheld teams or outright cutting that practice, and seeing a Mario Kart game with KING F**KING BOO playable in the works, for example (that was one of my major gripes with MK8, lack of character variety).

Eh, we'll see what happens down the line. Hopefully they'll do something to grab my attention more.

Don't get me wrong, the Wii U is a mess and way worse, but don't pretend Gamecube was anything but a disappointment.

It was a disappointment only in total sales, because it was up against the juggernaut that was the PS2 (and some other issues but mainly the first thing). But when it came to the hardware and games available? As far as I'm concerned, nothing could beat it. To this day, no other console has managed to hold my attention like the GCN. For one thing, it had, in my opinion, the greatest controller design in the history of gaming. I mean, it was extremely comfortable to hold, all of the controls were right where they needed to be, everything about it just felt right. It was missing a few buttons compared to the other 2 at the time, but for the first-party games it was inconsequential. Speaking of, many of Nintendo's series at the time (spinoffs included), like Metroid, SSB, Mario, LoZ, and F-Zero had reached a high point that we won't ever see again, at least, not as long as Nintendo is living in this minimalist, gimmicky world of theirs.

Star Fox SNES
Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 3DS
Star Fox Zero

All essentially the same game. I know I fall in the minority in being one of the few that liked Assault. Flawed game, but it had tons of potential. Something like Assault with more polish, more Arwing segments, and competitive online on the WiiU would have been boss. I never played Adventures, and I couldn't muster more than 10 mins of Command.

SFA was one of the better entries in the series to me, so you're not alone. A bit of fine tuning and it could've been something truly exceptional. But as it stands, it's still a pretty damn good game, which is a lot more than I can say about SFZ unfortunately.

Imo, GCN was their last good console before they jumped ship with the Wii.

I share this sentiment 100%.

 

[LancerStaff]

See, I disagree on nearly every point...

The TLDR of it is that I vastly prefer modern Nintendo to GC and before. The Switch I'm excited for because it's merging the console and handheld lines so I can get more then two console quality games on the go per generation, though at the same time I'll miss having two screens.

We can probably agree on one thing though, it's "AAA" lineup will start out mediocre and die off quickly like every Nintendo console since GC. (I'd include the 64 but it didn't have any to begin with lol.)

 

[SimonBarSinister]

See, I disagree on nearly every point...

You are pretty much my polar opposite, aren't you?

The TLDR of it is that I vastly prefer modern Nintendo to GC and before. The Switch I'm excited for because it's merging the console and handheld lines so I can get more then two console quality games on the go per generation, though at the same time I'll miss having two screens.

You still have the 3DS chugging along.

We can probably agree on one thing though, it's "AAA" lineup will start out mediocre and die off quickly like every Nintendo console since GC. (I'd include the 64 but it didn't have any to begin with lol.)

Nintendo is aiming for a steady stream of quality content, or so they say. Only time will tell if they follow through with that promise. The Switch certainly isn't swaying me much hardware-wise, so I'm hoping that they'll do a better job software-wise.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I'm not gonna lie guys...

It sounds like you want a Nintendo Gamecube 2 more than anything else...

Like, I'm all for criticism but half of some of these points come off as pining for the good old days. Especially since we're comparing a potential launch line up to the Gamecube's whole lineup. It's coming off as more nostalgia yearning than anything else.

Regardless, the Switch has come out to near universal praise. Analysts are praising the thing to high heaven and stock prices have risen quite a bit in the last day. People in general seem a lot more positive about this than the Wii U at its reveal. I think it's okay to be optimistic here.

 

[Johnknight1]

That reveal was amazing.

Not only did they reveal that Nvidia is their partner (which means games that are put on PC with Nvidia partners will likely strongly consider a Switch port, which is like 90% of devs right now; sorry, but AMD is in a very distant 2nd there, and is getting killed because they don't have any card that can hang with the GTX 1060 6GB let alone the 1070, 1080 or Pascal Titan X), not only did Nintendo get 2 times the developer support of the Wii U, not only did Nintendo get Bethesda (a long-time Nvidia partner), but they got freaking everything.
-EA Unity support (fantastic engine), which means any and all current and future (well within the next 6 years) games from EA could come to the console.
-Unreal Engine 4 support (eh mostly good engine that a ton of games use)
-Ubisoft support full and filled (the biggest 3rd party in the world).
-Clear 2k support, which means Rockstar Games isn't out of the question
-That Bethesda support might mean not only Skyrim HD, but Fallout 4, Dishonored 2 and maybe even Doom 4 on the Switch.
-Graphics technology to be a portable and home console all at once.
-PhysicX and GameWorks support from Nvidia, meaning specialized graphical fidelity and increased system optimization for developers and games.
-The possibility of Nvidia ShadowPlay support, which is THE BEST video game recording software (period. There is no doubting this).
-A clear direction that Nintendo is pro-esports from the Splatoon 2 footage (seriously though, that one guy look liked Faker. Don't pretend it isn't true or wasn't done on purpose).
-Nvidia clearly going all-in here after Sony and Microsoft turned them down in order to freaking destroy their consoles. Trust me, don't tee off Nvidia, they crazy.
-It can be like the DS and 3DS on a home console, with the power of a home console.
-It does what the PS3 and PS4 + Vita combo wishes it could do.
-It has cartridges, which unlike (Blu-Ray) discs don't have huge loading times, and load things quickly (and are about as cheap to produce).
-Dude we could get Persona 5 and Dark Souls 3 and Metal Gear Solid Survive (okay that title is gonna be meh probably) and all kinds of cool 3rd party games on the system via the partners listed.

Remember what we all wanted Smash 3DS and Wii U to be? Where we could connect the two and have all the content???

The Nintendo Connect is like that for every game. That is amazing. Not only that, the CPU is likely at least 2 or 3 times stronger than the Wii U, the GPU is gonna be out of this world (because Pascal is amazing; I got a GTX 1070 myself, and it murders games without the fans even spinning), and the thing can be played at home or on the go (and last forever in the latter if you got a portable charger).

This is the future of consoles, and this is flat beautiful. It does what a PC doesn't (I say that and I own a GTX 1070/i7-6700k watercooled 32GB DDR4 RAM PC that cost me a pretty penny) in the mobility, it does what a mobile device doesn't (it has a dedicated Nvidia Tegra GPU for the portable segment), and it's likely going to be an actual 1080p/60fps console (unlike the PS4 and Xbox One, which should have been 900p/60fps consoles given their $20 CPU's and lackluster specs).

All that is amazing.

I didn't even mention that we saw Skyrim HD (probably gonna happen now), a new 3D Mario that looked beautiful (wayyyy better than 3D World), probably NBA 2k17 (looks surprisingly good on mobile), Mario Kart 9, Zelda: Breath of the Wild finally looking visually great (the Wii U edition looks like it is 30fps and maybe like 900p, whereas this home console variant of BotW had graphical fidelity, draw distance, and 60fps for days), and Splatoon 2.

If we get just those 3 Nintendo titles, that tops the best Nintendo launch-period titles (which would be what, Mario 64 and Pilotwing 64? Melee and Pikmin? Wii Sports and Zelda: Twilight Princess) without even much of an effort.

This console, this corporate structure and partnering, this build, this customization (if this console has customizable parts that would be sickkkkkkkk); I'd love to put like a mini-Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB in the home console, for example), the control options, the hybrid nature of this console...

...this is the future of video game consoles.

To quote what I read from a commentator earlier, "Sony and Microsoft are making weak PC's with the PS4/PS4 Pro and Xbox One/Xbox One S/Scorpio, Nintendo with the Switch is making a strong console." And to that I say...

Add to that we have see like 2 minutes and 45 seconds of preview of it (plus an Nvidia blog and reveal of console partners at the moment), and this console is a rousing success. It will be a gigantic hit, and the future for this machine is great.

Now, let's all pray it is a customizable console (please let me add internal SSD's) and maybe a home console dedicated GPU, as well as a higher price tag (for higher specs; $500 would be perfectttttttt for 1080p/60fps).