What are you playing on your Switch 2: Play Harder

Hey, I played it too! (on Apple Arcade until my free trial ran out but still...)

I've got a smorgasbord of Switch games on the go right now - Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition, Animal Crossing New Horizons, Pokémon Snap and the odd battle of SSBU here and there too. And that's not even counting my occasional puzzle in Mario Super Picross.

I'm floating between a few games as well as I wait for DUSK and Boomerang X to have their gyro aim issues patched.

Finished DUSK '82 - a fun little demake prequel I got for pre-ordering DUSK.
Nearly done with Ristar on NSO Mega drive.
Need to return to WinBack.
Still having the odd hunt in MH Rise.
And I'm thinking of either starting NMH 3 or Sunless Sea.

Balladeer wrote:

No defence needed Stu, you've not been here for long and as you say the game itself doesn't exactly stand out.  I have however been yelling at everyone else since last year about how it's a game basically everyone here (apart from Mas maybe) should pick up, yes for full price if you have to.  I know my tastes aren't equal to everyone/anyone else's, but this isn't recommending Bravely Default 2 to Jas - I'm a bit smarter than that.  It's directly in GNamer's general wheelhouse.

Anyway Smurf's one of the good ones.

I have it on my watch list now, so it's burned into my mind for a time that's right.

I'm flitting between New Horizons and Kirby Star Allies at the moment. I'd forgotten how pretty HAL Laboratory games can be.

Currently nothing after Dread, I do have things I could play but nothing I want to go back to.

Hey not like I've got two RPG's coming up to play.

JayMoyles wrote:

Hey, I played it too! (on Apple Arcade until my free trial ran out but still...)

You. Hush.

Ys VIII has started to feel Not That Good to me. I'm still playing it, but if I had time to sit down and play something for a decent length of time I'd want it to be something else.

Balladeer wrote:

Ys VIII has started to feel Not That Good to me.  I'm still playing it, but if I had time to sit down and play something for a decent length of time I'd want it to be something else.

Anything particular?

It's the writing more than anything else. Dana and her people are just so dull. I liked it when you were stranded on a desert island, trying to clear up the survivors and just... survive. That was decent. I couldn't care less about the collapse of Eternia or whatever it's called.

Also, there are now big chunks where I'm playing (and fighting) as Dana solo, which lessens the impact of Ys VIII having one of the best team-battling RPG fighting systems I've played - no team to battle with! But it's mostly the writing.

I'm usually skipping the dialogue as fast as possible when playing an RPG. I'm one of those people.

I've got a real oldschool FPS (or boomer shooters as they are now being called) itch at the minute, so I've been playing the Turok remaster and holy shit what a remaster it is. It's got lots of neat options to tinker with that you usually only see in PC games, stuff like graphics & FOV sliders etc plus you can even change the OST to PC or N64 (this is the best one, natch) but for me the best thing is the gyro aiming which brings it as close to mouse controls but with the added comfort of using a controller.

If you aren't into gyro aiming though then you can even just use the Switch N64 controller for that classic feel.

Balladeer wrote:

stu_the_great wrote:

I'm usually skipping the dialogue as fast as possible when playing an RPG. I'm one of those people.

On the other hand... when I do engage with a story, it means it really has me hooked. Ghost Trick, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and The World Ends With You are all golden.

I've been playing the dumb-but-mildly-enjoyable Cat Quest this week, as it's just sort of sat on my shelf for the longest time now. Simple fun.

I mean, that's fair. I just don't see why you'd bother with most RPGs in that case! (Some excellent story picks incidentally.)

I liked Cat Quest 2. The dumb-but-mildly-enjoyable skeleton really comes to life with two players! I can't say it made me want to play a single-player version of the same, mind.

Balladeer wrote:

I mean, that's fair.  I just don't see why you'd bother with most RPGs in that case! (Some excellent story picks incidentally.)

This is going to sound super lame, but I enjoy the therapy of grinding to make a party stronger. Ideal for lunch breaks.

Just thought of another one, too: Dragon Quest VIII. Even the voice acting was (mostly) fab in that game.

I've only got the original Cat Quest, and I strongly believe I will have satiated my fill by the end of it. It is basically fetch quest: the game.

Nah I kind of get it! I mean, I need the context of the story, but I do also get some pleasure from the numbers going up. The way in which the numbers go up needs to be satisfying too though, which is where Dragon Quest falls short for me.

CQ2 is co-op, that's its big change. I wouldn't want to have played it in single-player or its single-player-only prequel.


I'm playing a few things at the moment. One thing I'm struggling to play is Pikmin 3. I enjoy it well enough when I play it, but when I'm not playing I don't really want to play it if that makes sense. Does anyone else have games like that? The one I best remember is Metroid Prime, which obviously I ended up loving.

Finally finished the number of runs required for the end credits in Hades earlier today, I already loved it before then but it now easily slots into the category of the all time greats.

EDIT: Every little thing just compliments each other so well that if you removed one of them it would go from something truly special to just very good, this is my new benchmark for how stories should be told in games as it shows that gameplay & narrative don't have to be treated as separate things especially when it comes to how you rewards players for any progress.

Yup, Hades was a special, special game.

Hades ties narrative to genre in a similar way that Celeste marries its narrative to its gameplay - in a way where the gamification is necessary to the narrative. Not many games do that.

[quote="Balladeer"

I'm playing a few things at the moment.  One thing I'm struggling to play is Pikmin 3.  I enjoy it well enough when I play it, but when I'm not playing I don't really want to play it if that makes sense.  Does anyone else have games like that?[/quote]


I’ve got plenty of games like that. I think the Switch is loaded with those kind of games, the ones that are pretty enjoyable but don’t really grab my attention or demand that I play them. Off the top of my head, I can remember Astral Chain, Yoshi’s Crafted World, Fitness Boxing, Paper Mario: The Origami King and Mario & Sonic Olympics being like that. Right now, No More Heroes III is my best example of that: good but uncompelling.

~

I’m still hoping and waiting for a reprint of Hades’ physical version. It was hovering around £20 new for months, but I got complacent about buying it. I just assumed that I’d pick it up for cheap eventually, and that it would always be available. After all, when are ‘Limited Editions’ truly limited editions? That’s backfired for now though, it’s like three times the price now.

I had no idea it was limited edition on Switch, baffling really as it's easily available on PlayStation and Xbox around the £20 mark.

Balla & Cappa wrote:

stuff about not feeling compelled to play

I get that with most games apart from the first party nintendo stuff.

With most books, games, TV shows etc I have to force myself to start, but things tend to get their teeth into me a little ways in.

I've gotten better at that initial "making myself start" phase and I'm gonna say I reckon it's got a lot to do with my having gotten into the routine of going to the gym. I've improved my general ability to get up and do things, especially compared to some of my lowest phases.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

I’m still hoping and waiting for a reprint of Hades’ physical version. It was hovering around £20 new for months, but I got complacent about buying it. I just assumed that I’d pick it up for cheap eventually, and that it would always be available. After all, when are ‘Limited Editions’ truly limited editions? That’s backfired for now though, it’s like three times the price now.

I didn't realise this - I was in the same boat you were, until this moment I knew it existed physically and was just in no rush to pick it up!

A fifth benefit to the gym!  Also it should go without saying that I'm glad you're past your 'lowest points', but it might not so: I'm glad you're past your 'lowest points' boss.

I'm mostly playing Death's Door at the moment.  It only came out yesterday on Switch, but is already pretty critically acclaimed elsewhere.  It's... fine.  You play a crow with a sword, which is great, but also you're a sodding crow, why can't you fly?  Instead you have really slow running pace.  Otherwise it's a darker take on 2D Zelda, everything fairly muted in the colour palette and slashy slash enemies to get to bosses that kill you repeatedly and are too far away from checkpoints given how slow your crow is.  Oh, and there's no map.  

I'm not impressed so far, is what I'm saying.  I'm having a decent time, but not a great one, and if you didn't grab it from the above there's a boss that gave me bad Soul Master vibes from the irritating journey I had to make back to it each time it killed me.  It killed me a lot.

Sounds like Death's Door led to a frosty reception

Death's Door is out on Switch!!???!?

Came out yesterday!