What are you playing on your Switch 2: Play Harder

Most people did really like it, I seem to be an anomaly there. I think you're more likely to 'completionist' it and as such get the true ending than I was, however tedious getting that ending may be. Also, I didn't really find it that pretty or the music (apart from a couple of stand-outs) that great, so you're already off to a better start.

(sniggers at PS5 Portal, -s at 'watching something else on the TV')

It's mostly been the two bosses I've taken on that have looked nice, also I'm playing the PS5 version, but doubtful Switch version looks any worse.

I don't know how you play Switch but both recent Mario & Sonic playing them in handheld, was whist also watching TV/listening to Podcast.

Yep I imagine the pixel art is pretty similar.  I dunno, I just thought it was pretty (bad word choice) reasonably standard pixel art in the modern vein.  There are games that do it beautifully, like Hyper Light Drifter or any of the HD2D titles.  This wasn't one of them.

I don't play Switch like that!  Partly because I can't concentrate on two things at once, so I'd end up doing neither the game nor the telly show justice.  Partly because I like videogame music and audio for the most part, why would I want somebody yabbering over it?  And partly because I don't play the sort of games that have been described elsewhere (Back Page Discord) as 'podcast games' - things like Vampire Survivors and Dredge, that are either repetitive/grindy or have long periods of calm.  

To me 'podcast games' often seems like it means 'games that aren't engaging enough for me to give my full concentration to them' but the people using the term don't want to admit it.  I may be wrong!

Maybe, though the games I very often play in handheld are RPGs like Sea of Stars, Star Ocean, Triangle Strategy etc or 2D platformers such as Mario, Sonic and stuff such as Metroid Fusion, Suika game.

Very 2D heavy and what I'd likely would have played on GBA, DS, PSP, VITA at home like this. Also the RPGs do have story elements but also I do some grinding etc like this or walking around a mine.

Oddly playing Sea of Stars on the TV now, and still does look good, though say it looked better on the small screen.

I only really have a game become a podcast game if I'm doing second playthroughs or collectible cleanups, that kind of thing. Sea of Stars for example hasn't been one of those for me but if I do return to it and do all the second playthrough stuff I'll definitely be listening to a bit of Dungeons & Daddies alongside it.

Treesmurf wrote:

I only really have a game become a podcast game if I'm doing second playthroughs or collectible cleanups, that kind of thing.

So what I said then, 'games (or ways of playing games) that aren't engaging enough for [you] to give [your] full concentration to them'.

Think that does Mario, Sonic, Star Ocean etc a disservice though I might be doing the same calling them handheld games.

Just how I've played handheld games of course back in day it was putting Simpsons on BBC2 on the background or what not.

It's kind of a pointless discussion as roguelikes are the main ones that benefit from being podcast games. I tend to go a bit mad hearing the same videogame sounds without big story scenes, so I'm pretty happy to whack something more interesting audio-wise on whilst playing something that doesn't have an engaging story, but is great to play mechanically.

To wade in on this I tend to play slower paced RPGs in handheld with a podcast on in the background. I also very rarely have sound on, I think this is probably a throw back to playing Pokémon on the Game boy quietly at night without alerting parents that I was in fact not asleep as Instructed!

Grinding content or collectibles are ideal podcast activities for me personally but I also completely understand people that just focus on the one task whilst gaming!

Last night I finished playing a Quake mod - Episode Enyo which is a prelude to Slave Zero X which itself is an upcoming prequel to the Dreamcast game Slave Zero.

Some screenshots from my play through:

Here's the trailer for the beat em up which is out Feb 21st.

Roguelikes/lites urghh but everyone seems to be doing them.

EofGiz, gets it about the handheld nature.

Crumpy Andy wrote:

It's kind of a pointless discussion as roguelikes are the main ones that benefit from being podcast games. I tend to go a bit mad hearing the same videogame sounds without big story scenes, so I'm pretty happy to whack something more interesting audio-wise on whilst playing something that doesn't have an engaging story, but is great to play mechanically.

EofGizmo wrote:

To wade in on this I tend to play slower paced RPGs in handheld with a podcast on in the background. I also very rarely have sound on, I think this is probably a throw back to playing Pokémon on the Game boy quietly at night without alerting parents that I was in fact not asleep as Instructed!

Not surprised to see Andrew 'I Don't Like Videogame Music' Rice putting a podcast on. More surprised to see EofGiz joining in on the side of the podcast listeners. As somebody who listens to more videogame music than any other genre I really don't get it, but you do you.

EofGizmo wrote:

Grinding content or collectibles are ideal podcast activities for me personally but I also completely understand people that just focus on the one task whilst gaming!

That said... this supports what I'm saying. It genuinely doesn't sound like you're having much fun!

Balladeer wrote:

EofGizmo wrote:

Grinding content or collectibles are ideal podcast activities for me personally but I also completely understand people that just focus on the one task whilst gaming!

That said... this supports what I'm saying.  It genuinely doesn't sound like you're having much fun!

I think honestly I just find it weirdly soothing in an otherwise chaotic life sometimes, leveling up Pokémon or grinding for ingredients is weirdly relaxing to me but then my go to "relaxing genre" is known to be World Rally Sims so who knows

I have recently been playing purely on the TV, volume up and no distractions and it's definitely the better way to play to be clear but I can live in both camps

...yep I can understand that actually, the slightly dull repetitive tasks acting as a calming force. Fair enough!

Handheld > TV though.

Balladeer wrote:

As somebody who listens to more videogame music than any other genre I really don't get it, but you do you.

On the other side of the coin, whilst I'll sometimes listen to podcasts whilst playing games I'll also often listen videogame music whilst doing nothing at all.

This is good and correct behaviour. That said, I tend to use videogame music more as a motivational tool while writing etc.

Incidentally: what am I playing?
Tunic - Barely.
Persona 5 Royal - Ditto.
Anonymous;Code - Visual novel from the Steins;Gate lot, and this is very Steins;Gate: it has the same mix of clever plotting and utter anime horseshit.  The premise is that you find you, the player, can save and load the world using the game's own interface and the main character's aware of it.  Also there are exaggerated breast movements and the female lead genius hacker is dressed in a cat onesie with no underpants on.
Thirsty Suitors - Strip away the plot and skateboarding and this is a pretty trad turn-based RPG, albeit with Paper Mario/Sea of Stars-style button prompts.  The plot is Scott Pilgrim only your character's a queer lady of Indian descent.  Not sure about this one, it's quite clever but I don't like the skateboarding or the art style much.
Golden Sun (NSO) - This hasn't aged well visually and it's very slow.  More as we get it.
Chico and the Magic Orchards DX - One for the retro heads, this small cheap adventure was just what I needed in a games list with three RPGs.  You play a squirrel rolling a giant acorn through Link's Awakening DX.  There's no plot so far at all, just a bunch of puzzles.  I reckon Cappa would like this, it's a nice little stopgap between bigger titles.

Balladeer wrote:

Handheld > TV though.

I say I'm playing handheld, and it's ohh not giving the game attention, as I don't want to sit in silence.

You can turn the volume up on handhelds Mas!

Balladeer wrote:

Golden Sun (NSO) - This hasn't aged well visually

Surely that would be a first for a pixel art game?

@Balla NO!

From the trailer of GS, it looked too zoomed out (watching it on a TV), though maybe fine playing Switch handheld, though likely how Balla is playing mind.

It's definitely the style they've gone for.  If either of you remember Mario Golf on the GBA (by the same people natch) it was done in the same way, in a kind of 3D-aping style. It reminds me almost of the Donkey Kong Country games in a way, where they tried for 3D on a console that wasn't really up to it and it looked great at the time but hasn't aged as gracefully as more classical-looking SNES games now.

Disappointed to hear that GS hasn't aged well, Still planning to give it a go at some point as I missed it first time around!
I did end up playing some Paper Mario 64 last night in handheld and I must I feel like that's aged super well, highly recommend it if you fancy a shorter RPG!

Hey, it's just me saying this! I famously do not get on well with old games. Cappa and Mas may have an entirely different view.

It doesn't surprise me that Paper Mario's aged well though. Ironically, unlike paper that art style's made to last.

I've played a bit of Golden Sun on NSO and I actually actively thought it had aged pretty well visually! The pacing at the beginning is very sluggish though. It's a huge nostalgia trip regardless though - I think it was one of, if not the, first big JRPGs I played as a kid that wasn't Pokemon.

I'm also playing Ghost Trick at the moment, having (regretfully) missed out on it on DS. It's fun! I've also been on a bit of We Love Katamari, and enjoying how unashamedly nonsensical and self-referential it is.

Balladeer wrote:

Not surprised to see Andrew 'I Don't Like Videogame Music' Rice putting a podcast on.  More surprised to see EofGiz joining in on the side of the podcast listeners.  As somebody who listens to more videogame music than any other genre I really don't get it, but you do you.

I'll whack a podcast on if I'm playing a game that I can half focus on - I did it playing through Powerwash Simulator and mopping up trophies in Death Stranding, both of which were very zen experiences.