I just bought a pro controller to use with Smash. I played Melee more than most games, but I don't love the idea of buying another GC controller (or an adapter) to use with a single game. I was looking at alt controllers - like the PowerA version of the pro controller, but ultimately just decided to go with the Pro controller so I don't lose out on the rumble. I've also had some pretty negative experiences with 3rd party controllers in the past.

You're right about spending money on this thing. I would like a second dock, but everything I read suggests that the only safe bet is the official (expensive) nintendo version. Bummer.

I also have a strong gaming PC. It's cool, and I can't believe the types of things it can do (like VR, etc), but I find myself leaning toward consoles for almost all gaming these days. I use my xbone and switch about 10x more than my gaming PC. I find the experience more enjoyable in general - it allows me to play against friends that are scared away by the entry point of a decent gaming rig, and the experience is pretty seamless. The ability to take the switch on the road is a huge selling point for me. I make a lot of overnight trips to see my family and the in-laws, the ability to bring some really solid games with me is awesome.

This is worth repeating. The app makes it sound like you get 27 machines for $1. What it really means is that you can unlock 27 'retro' versions of other tables provided you already own them in their original form.

The app is pretty cool, and at least lets you give the machines a play before purchasing, but that sale is disingenuous at best.

Hollow knight is on sale for $10. I haven't played it yet, but it gets pretty great reviews.

Agree. I thought I could get by with the pro controller, but playing for a couple of days, I really miss the jump buttons of the GC controller. Jumping is critical in that game, and the transition for me just feels a little too sloppy right now.

The primary attack is the A button. You can quickly roll your thumb to the side to hit the jump button on the GC controller. Those buttons also have a unique shape that's easier to feel. I like that all the buttons have a unique shape, now that I think of it.

Maybe we get SNES games soon? I've been waiting for this...

https://www.techradar.com/amp/news/switch-online-subscribers-may-soon-get-access-to-snes-games

Is that... a furry anime pinball game? Talk about niche.

I just bought Holycon 6. It was a game that caught my eye a long time ago. It looked really interesting, but just never really wanted to plop down in front of a computer to play it.

Now that it's on switch, I decided to give it a go. So far my experience has been terrible. The game itself seems cool, it's just that (at least the tutorial) is utterly broken. I've restarted 3x. The first couple of times I tried to select a different loadout on the shop I had before entering battle. I was unable to exit that screen, because I guess the tutorial wanted me to do something else (though that wasn't immediately clear). I legitimately needed to exit the game completely, and start over. Yeah, I made the same mistake again, but it was at a different stage. Same thing, start all the way over. The third time I was pretty frustrated, and trying to skip dialogue. In doing so I guess I selected the wrong attack in the first mission, and that again locked everything up.

I guess I'll start again and this time be ultra careful, but it's a little ridiculous to me that a selection outside of what the system wants you to do (even when it's not painfully obvious) completely bricks the game. Between the 1st and 2nd attempt I tried skipping the prologue, but I was pretty lost.

An update, I did progress through the tutorial. It really wasn't all that helpful, and shorter than I expected. Anyway, seems pretty cool if you're into space strategy. I've been on this for a few hours, and that's pretty darn good for my attention span.

Why's that? Are collectors just looking for launch systems, or is it because of some ability to mod?

I'm glad I stuck with this one, I've been pretty obsessed with it over the last couple of days. The controls would definitively favor PC. There's a lot of moving cursors, and it feels like they could have done better to map some more shortcuts, but it's playable enough.

The arcade version is really cool. It looks like the home version has taken things in a little different direction. It will be interesting to see. The creators had said for a long time that they did not want to bring it to the home market because so much about the game was the camaraderie that comes from playing next to one another. At the same time, the logistics of finding 5 people to play against another 5 people at the arcade is a challenge.

Deal running on the switch right now, normal price (300) but with a 35 credit to the estore.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/02/ ... dit/?amp=1

Wow, I guess I'm bad at Tetris.

Can anyone give a quick explanation of the 4 r-stick modes?

Thanks - didn't know about this. I just added 3 months to my sub without about 3 clicks.

Every time I play a "'regular" Mega Man game, I realize how much more I like the wall jump ability in Mega Man X. I did buy 11 from Target with their 30% off deal, though.

I've been playing Celeste. That game is really fun. I loved Super Meat Boy, and this provides a similarly difficult challenge. I don't know if I'll ever see the end, which is a shame, because the story is pretty interesting.

I was sort of surprised Nintendo released the Switch in the first place. They do well in portables, and I thought that would cannibalize a lot of those sales. I'm not sure if it has or not, but I sold my 3DS when I got the switch. I think the 3DS is inferior in practically every way.

I'm a little more confused now at this move. Perhaps they didn't see the sales increase on the Switch to makeup for the slowing of the 3DS, so they're trying to bridge that gap. That's the only way I think this makes sense. And it's still not THAT portable..

I was baffled when I bought my 3DS and it didn't even come with a charger.

I've been waiting for this. SNES was the most prominent system of my childhood. I have an SN30 controller, but I haven't had luck in getting it to connect yet (any tips?).

I've seriously considered selling off most of my classic games. They can be emulated in most cases, and there's even new hardware that will allow you to play over HDMI, and with a with a single cartridge (Super NT, SD2SNES). I think I may do that just to preserve as much of the experience as possible, without having to hold onto a huge CRT and a pricey collection of games.

At the same time, even on twitchy games it's hard for me to really notice the difference when properly emulated.

Yep. Amazing how there's such trouble emulating hardware from 20 years ago.

I don't really own all that much from that era. The stuff I do, I'm not really all that attached to. Most of that 3d era stuff just doesn't hold up as well as the 8bit and 16bit stuff.

One of the things that makes me hang onto the CRT is my intellivision collection. Another big one from my childhood, but I also don't have much desire to play. It will be cool to show the kids on an occasional rainy weekend, but otherwise I don't see myself playing them. The trouble is, the controllers are pretty unique.. maybe a numpad would work, but without those sleeves some games may be tough to play.

I was really jacked about this. I got into it, and didn't feel like starting anything since I have a save state of anything I'd want to play on another device, or the actual console.

I need to figure out where I'm playing classic games, and commit..

Can confirm.

You'll have time. There's intervals with newborns... really busy for 15 minutes, then 1.5 hours of naps.

My brother picked up a Switch for me while I was in the hospital with my twins (he didn't buy it for me, just helped me attain one while I was unavoidably detained).

I played through a lot of Zelda while they slept and I was off of work. I probably ended up depriving myself of more sleep than I should have, but it made me realize what a perfect system it is for someone like me. I could easily bring it into bed while I was 'on the clock' and my wife slept.

I need to distract my kids for a couple of hours tonight while my wife works. I think the goose game may be the perfect solution...

I have a 5 year old and two 2.5 year olds. I play some games with them on occasion, but it's a true test of patience for me. It can be fun for short periods of time... but something like this seems like it would keep them entertained even if I'm the only one on the controls.

Nice! I have that game but didnt know that. I'll give it a shot.

I did buy and play the goose game with the kids tonight. Worth it for the laughs alone (my 5 year old daughter was hyperventilating), but I don't think it would hold up much if I were playing on my own. The controls are a little tough... the damn goose doesn't want to track in one direction very well. I found myself picking up and dropping things consecutively while trying to work through some time-sensitive stuff since there's some delay from button press to action.

Fun, but felt a little monotonous after the first section. Get these items.. bug the shit out of this guy.. All good fun, but more like $5 fun than $15 fun.

Overall.... tomorrow I'm going to try and convince my kids to play some Mario kart, but I'm guessing there will be chants of "sil-ly goose! sil-ly goose! sil-ly goose!"

Your 5 year old is clearly more coordinated than mine.

What grips are people using for portable mode? The angle of the buttons annoy me, and I play in that mode more often. I think it's time to grab something, but there are a ton of options..

"Black Friday" to me means online deals. If I can't get it online, I'm not getting it. There's a zero percent chance I'm waiting in line on the most glutenous holiday of the year to get a shitty version of a TV I didn't need for $20 off. I do feel like you can get some pretty decent video game deals online during that time, so at least wait until after that to buy anything, at least one of the switch consoles will still be available if you get in a pinch.

I think it's a must. I can't play it in joycon portable mode, but I did flip out the kickstand and use a pro controller over the weekend at my family's. It's perfect for that.

Anyone have any other recommendations from the "roguelite" type?

I do have Hollow Knight, but haven't really gotten to it yet.

I'm in pretty much the same boat. I own it, got through some worlds. It's fine. I just don't find the 3d Mario controls all that fun. My favorite Mario game has always been, and I think probably will always be, Super Mario World. It's the pinnacle of Mario for me.

While I own and like the new 2d Marios, those also just don't seem to have the same feel as World to me.

I had a good bunch of physical games. I put all the cartridges in a single case to make carrying them around easier. Now I can't find that case. Total bummer, and I really hope it turns up so I don't have to replace them. For now I guess I'll just play the digitals until I get a real chance to tear the house apart, but shit.

Thanks! I appreciate the offer, but I've got a pretty good collection of digital stuff to keep me busy anyway, just going to bother me to no end until I find them is all.

That's a good policy. If I did that I could probably stop buying games until..... death...

I really did too, and then it just started stressing me out. I gave up on it abruptly, as it just got to be too overwhelming putting out fires.

Fun for a while though.

Thanks for the recommendation, looks pretty cool.

I was under the impression you already owned everything!

Thanks for the heads up. I tend to be a sucker for these types of sales..

Agree with this 100%. It's really one of my favorite games of the last couple years. I think the best comparison is Super Meat Boy (which I also absolutely love).

The golf part of the game is basically the battle system. It's very well done.

I would grab a pro controller. Others have had luck with off brand pro-type controllers, but I think most or all of them are missing the rumble feature. Considering every system I've had for the last 10+ years had that, I was afraid to play without it.

If you plan to play party type games with 3+ people, I think 80 is "normal" for another set of joycons. I'd be seriously apprehensive in buying any 3rd party joycon alternatives.

I was thinking about grabbing animal crossing to play with my young kids (namely my 5 year old daughter) during this lockdown. Instead I decided to play a game that I already own but never really gave a chance - stardew valley.

I have it for PC, and since I have a HTPC on my main TV, I was able to give a controller to my daughter while I play on my laptop next to her. It's great. I very much recommend it, especially if you can get a few laptops in a room and play together on a LAN like we are.

I use the pro controller for Smash. I played a lot of Melee on the GC. While I really liked the GC controller, I'm not willing to spend money to connect GC to the switch via 3rd party hardware. I think the most common way of doing that was through an 8bitdo adapter. At first I really liked my 8bitdo retro controllers, but they have significant lag. When I'm playing roms, I now use a PS4 controller in bluetooth mode, or an Xbone controller. Supposedly the PS4 controller in BT mode has the lowest lag of any controller, even compared to the same controller in wired mode. Strange, but more info here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/RocketLeague/comments/8wvf9u/controller_input_lag_comparison_more_info_in_the/

Anyway, that was a really roundabout way of saying I think the Pro controller is a great option for Smash, and will serve you well in practically any other Switch game.

Let me know how the PS4 controllers work with the adapters!

Reading quickly on it, that mayflash seems to be the preferred option anyway, and supposedly retains rumble.

Overwatch is another option. I don't know what the performance is like on the switch, but that game had some staying power with my friends.

I've heard good things. Its selling for so much now because everyone is stuck inside living out their own Kubrick movie.

Is there a matrix or something to show what modes may unlock what characters? I haven't played in a while, but I remember there being some really specific things for unlocks in Melee.

Take a look at Stardew Valley, too. That's $15, and my daughter and I are able to play on the same copy with the PC version (assuming you have a couple of PCs that can handle a pretty low-demand game). I think up to 4 can play in co-op.

I was going to get AC for a bit of escapism, but decided to dig into my owned games before dropping 60 on something new. I'm glad I did, we're hooked, and I much prefer the sprite 16-bit era art style.

Looks like it was probably an error:

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No, I think Mario Party requires you to play with just 1 joycon, annoyingly.

I've had an SN30 and an SN30 Pro, and I have to say the lag for me is pretty noticeable on certain games (super mario world is usually my test). I actually returned the SN30 Pro.

Looks perfect for pinball. Do you have a link for that?

You can't play some games without joycons. The only one I know of is mario party, not sure if there are more. That one forces you to use an individual joycon, which my man-sized hands despise.

I own an oculus. It's really cool. I played it quite a bit for the first month or so. It's also kind of fatiguing (especially with text) and a little bit of a hassle. I use it only for sim racing at the moment.

Luckys Tale is the title that made me realize nintendo may eventually enter the arena. Platforming in vr definitely has potential.

I don't think the "QLED" is anything other than clever marketing. Check this site, there are a lot of really good performers for well below your budget in that size:

https://www.rtings.com/

2021 is in the reverse order to which I prefer them. Xbox, Switch, Ps4 for me. I don't even own a PS4. The determining factor to me was mostly my friends, but I didn't even put up a fight because of the controllers. The Ps4 controllers feel like they were built for my daughter rather than me. Xbox controllers are the best of all time, and it's not close.

I built up a pretty fun nerf arsenal that way. The new nerf stuff is way better than when I was a kid.

Yelling at my wife to turn on the hose and close the fucking gate.. the game!

So the Zelda anniversary may be just around the corner... I would love to see some of the lesser known games from the series make the cut for that (I haven't played Wind Waker or Skyward Sword all the way through). I'm all for the convenience of experiencing those titles on the switch.

I'm guessing they also won't give a proper remaster to Ocarina, which would undoubtedly be included.

Just a general observation, but that PS1/n64 era feels like it will mostly be overlooked as time goes on, unless the games really do see a good remaster. The graphics and/or controls just don't hold up for a good number of the marquee games. Has anyone played Goldeneye in the last 10 years? Single stick shooters are practically impossible to revisit with any sort of joy. Meanwhile, the 16-bit era holds up so well developers are still using the art style on brand new releases.

I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't.

The Pro controller is a good purchase, you won't regret it.

Oh I forgot about that.. wouldn't that pretty much break the game?

Does anyone know how they're handling this on the switch? I was considering buying this, but if this game is just completely broken, maybe I'll just fire up my gamecube.

I was going mostly physical until I lost a case holding about 7 or 8 games. I think I dropped it while we were moving around between locations on vacation last year. Real bummer. I can only hope that some kid found it and it made his year.

I totally understand people wanting the physical copies. Other than losing my switch games, I've been completely unable to sell off any of my old physical games whether I have digital versions of them or not.

I can't speak to LM3, but Odyssey is a staple. Lots of talk about it here, but I'd really suggest Dead Cells for something with great controls and challenging gameplay.

What other rogues do you like? I bought but havent played Hades, but I'm really digging the genre, and I'd like to hear some other titles that might offer some variety within said genre.

I think I like how similar these games feel to the 16bit era platformers.

I have this thing where I correct people's TVs when I go to their houses. You'd be amazed at how many don't even have the correct resolution selected, nevermind the 'vivid' picture settings and so on.

Rare solid deal from Nintendo..

$70 for a Pro controller and Mario Odyssey (digital)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nintendo-Switch-Pro-Controller-with-Super-Mario-Odyssey-Full-Game-Download-Code/925436036

I got through the main game. I loved it. I haven't touched it since though.

They really need more character options for those games. And allow the difficulty to be adjusted on each character, rather than having that locked. I have 2 young girls and they fight over who gets to be toadette in Deluxe.

Thanks for the heads up. I really liked those games. I wonder if I still have the patience for them..

Alright, gonna look into it. It wasn't even on my radar.

I'm pretty easily persuaded into buying more games

20210701_205348 (resized).jpg

Everyone has their favorite version of SSB. Mine is Melee, the others I just haven't gotten that into. That said, I think that title is probably the best 'fighting' game ever. The only other game that makes me reconsider that is Bushido Blade.

If ever. That's how I roll.

I've definitely gotten better about it. Steam and Nintendo sales are where I drop most of my gaming money these days. I opted for the gamepass for Xbox, and that suits me pretty well.

All that, and I still catch myself playing Super Mario World at least once a year.

Let us know the time breakdown.

I own stardew valley on pretty much every platform. I love it. My kids love it.

The Nintendo online sub would be good too. Some good NES and SNES games, and soon they'll be releasing some n64 and Genesis(???) games (for a TBD price).

Have they announced the price?

I was actually considering an OLED switch purely so we could play 5 player Mario Kart in our house. Until I found out that's not even an option..

I thought about GTA on the switch, but I'm going to hold out of GTA San Andreas on Oculus. Really looking forward to that.

Are there any 3rd party joycons worth buying?

I finally beat Zelda BOTW last night. I played it on launch, but got burnt out after 2 divine beasts. I failed to make it stick every time I tried to pick it back up - where am I? What do I need to do again? How do these mechanics work?

It was great, pretty easily my favorite Zelda ever.

Not much more than a combination of some time off and a desire to clear out some games in my backlog.

One of my favorite RPGs of all time added to the Nintendo online! I was hoping they'd do Mother 3 as well, but this is a great start. Maybe if these get enough interest they'll consider adding M3.

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Can you use the shoulder buttons for the flippers?

New Zelda! A little earlier release than I was expecting with a current May 2023 date.

In other news, I pretty blindly bought Splatoon 3 having never played the previous games. I knew the previous titles had been well loved, and understood the basic premise. I bought it digitally on a rainy Saturday to play with my 3 kids. As it turns out, there's no local multiplayer... I didn't even consider that might be the case. While the game might be cool, it really isn't something I'm interested in outside of some family gaming. Be warned that returning a digital download is a bit of a pain. I eventually got a refund to my account, but it doesn't seem like that would be typical, even though I had less than 15m of play and requested the return on the same day.

My kids have been pushing for a second switch. I've heard account sharing is a bit of a nightmare - any feedback on what I'd be getting into with a mixed digital/physical collection?

Great info, thanks for sharing. I was able to get Switch running rather well on my Steam Deck, so I'll probably pass on another Switch. I was at least a little tempted by the TOTK edition OLED..

I bought TOTK for my brother for his bday, and he just bought me a copy for mine. The perfect crime.

I finally got some time to play TOTK. Got off the original island and into the open world. I tend to take the quests that get me to sprawl, grabbing locations for fast travel as I go. Such a great game.

Split screen was great. I remember taping a cardboard divider to my uncles TV to play goldeneye with my cousins and prevent screen peeks. He was thrilled when he got home from work.

F-Zero 99 might be fun

Worth checking your local library, our system carries switch games (and I always forget to take advantage of that).