The Nintendo Switch

[Mommar]

"Farther" is kind of relative in this game.  Maybe I just went off in a different direction (I went East like the game said to.)  I think my biggest complaint with the game so far is the breakable weapons, not because you have to worry about durability but because if you run into a mob of six Bokoblins you're going to break two to three of them before the encounter is over.  Come on, give me a few skirmishes before I have some problems.

I've found two new sets of armors, I've upgraded one set of them.  I have an extra heart container now.  I've come up with some recipes that will replenish 10+ hearts plus two and a half stamina wheels.  Kind of a waste of ingredients right now.  lol  I have five horses which are useful until you come across something you want to climb.  Then it's a question of if you want to ditch the horse you've been training and bonding with or climb up to some vast expanse and run across it on foot.  Also,  jousting is great fun.  I hope there are proper lances in the game because jousting is one of my primary means of attack now.

What's really dumb is if you find a magic wand, if you cast a few spells with it your wand will break too.  Not even if you actually physically strike something.  It's REALLY irritating.  I suppose you could claim the magic power is so strong every time you cast something it takes a physical toll on your wand but... the durability thing is so low on every item it's a real pain.

[Convectuoso]

I'm tempted to get a Switch just to play Zelda. Not interested in any other games. However, I read that this is game can also be played on the WiiU. How do both versions compare? Should I get a second-hand WiiU instead, which is cheaper? 

[myk]

Sure, you could play it on a Wii U but why?  If you're planning to buy hardware any way you might as well buy something next 'gen.  

[Duymon]

switch has been a lot of fun, but there seems to be quite a few users who got a bum unit based on some YouTube vids. luckily I have nit experienced any issues thus far.

screen protector wise, hori screen protector is the bomb. Just like on my vita original and vita slim hori made a really good protector that fits super well. I was thinking maybe get a glass protector but as the switch screen front is shatter proof plastic most people really only need worry about mad scratching on the fragile plastic (it's like 1990's gamegear all over again lol)

I am super enjoying Zelda. as Mommar wrote I am also miffed by weapons breaking so fast. srsly on some fights I replace 3 of my weapons with drops due to durability. Some Shrine fights vs guardians drop like 60+ dmg weapons and cuz I am a hoarder I almost never use them out of fear of losing a trump card...therefore I Kite almost everything and bomb spam cuz bombs are free

 

 

 

 

[Mommar]

4 hours ago, Convectuoso said:

I'm tempted to get a Switch just to play Zelda. Not interested in any other games. However, I read that this is game can also be played on the WiiU. How do both versions compare? Should I get a second-hand WiiU instead, which is cheaper? 

It runs on the WiiU but not as well, and the graphics aren't as good.  Framerate is worse.  Draw distances aren't as far.  Foliage density is lower.  Textures are lower resolution.  There are more modern lighting effects that don't exist on the WiiU version. 

3 hours ago, Duymon said:

switch has been a lot of fun, but there seems to be quite a few users who got a bum unit based on some YouTube vids. luckily I have nit experienced any issues thus far.

screen protector wise, hori screen protector is the bomb. Just like on my vita original and vita slim hori made a really good protector that fits super well. I was thinking maybe get a glass protector but as the switch screen front is shatter proof plastic most people really only need worry about mad scratching on the fragile plastic (it's like 1990's gamegear all over again lol)

I am super enjoying Zelda. as Mommar wrote I am also miffed by weapons breaking so fast. srsly on some fights I replace 3 of my weapons with drops due to durability. Some Shrine fights vs guardians drop like 60+ dmg weapons and cuz I am a hoarder I almost never use them out of fear of losing a trump card...therefore I Kite almost everything and bomb spam cuz bombs are free

Every hardware launch has some failures.  It's not wide spread.

I'm going to check out the hori protectors

Yeah, I feel  like the mechanic they built in to force people to make use of every weapon style is so strict that it actually makes you afraid to use any of your weapons because they're comically breakable.

Edited March 8, 2017 by Mommar

[mikeszekely]

The weapon breaking mechanic is super lame. You'd think a sword is made of glass, not steel. It's even more irritating when you've found something cool, like the Thunder Sword I found in a shrine, and it breaks while you're fighting something weak like bokoblins that drop crappy clubs.

I played a lot last night. It was one of those, "it's 11:30, I'll just go see what that is over the and quit for the night" then suddenly is 2:00am deals. I've completed 20 shrines, which seems to be a fair measure of progress. This is definitely my favorite of the 3D Zeldas.

[Mommar]

5 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

The weapon breaking mechanic is super lame. You'd think a sword is made of glass, not steel. It's even more irritating when you've found something cool, like the Thunder Sword I found in a shrine, and it breaks while you're fighting something weak like bokoblins that drop crappy clubs.

I played a lot last night. It was one of those, "it's 11:30, I'll just go see what that is over the and quit for the night" then suddenly is 2:00am deals. I've completed 20 shrines, which seems to be a fair measure of progress. This is definitely my favorite of the 3D Zeldas.

It is both my favorite and not.  The breaking mechanic would be okay, but the implementation is laughable.  They really are glass weapons.

You're farther than me, I've only finished maybe seven shrines.  I had the same issue last night, only four hours sleep because I decided to try poking around for a few minutes and I got lost in exploration.  I think that's probably the real let down, it's such a mesmerizing game but that one combat mechanic is so flawed it makes you want to avoid using your weapons.

[Duymon]

27 minutes ago, Mommar said:

It is both my favorite and not.  The breaking mechanic would be okay, but the implementation is laughable.  They really are glass weapons.

You're farther than me, I've only finished maybe seven shrines.  I had the same issue last night, only four hours sleep because I decided to try poking around for a few minutes and I got lost in exploration.  I think that's probably the real let down, it's such a mesmerizing game but that one combat mechanic is so flawed it makes you want to avoid using your weapons.

 

Like 14 shrines finished here.

I finished these really hard Strength test shrines that had guardian bots. One dropped a 30 dmg axe. I then broke that axe to kill the next shrine boss that dropped a 68 dmg axe O_o. I haven't used it once because I fear it will break before I actually do need it.

The weakest weapon I have is an Iron sledgehammer that I only ever use to break rocks and Stasis slamming. You can keep getting replacement sledgehammers from Kurikiro Village or whatever. It respawns every few days.

I used to keep an Axe for trees but bombs take out trees. Bombs also kill most low level crap especially after you upgrade them.

Low level Goblin? Bomb

Chuchu? Bomb

Bats? Drop Bomb, dash, detonate, collect loot

School of Fish? Bomb

Trees? Bomb

Wooden Crates? Bomb

New enemy? Try Bomb First.

I will actually climb mountains just to roll bombs down on strong mobs.

Bomb Everything, because Bombs are infinite.

I didn't have to buy Bomberman when I can play Zelda: Bomberman

 

Edited March 8, 2017 by Duymon

[Tking22]

5 hours ago, Convectuoso said:

I'm tempted to get a Switch just to play Zelda. Not interested in any other games. However, I read that this is game can also be played on the WiiU. How do both versions compare? Should I get a second-hand WiiU instead, which is cheaper? 

I've been playing on the WiiU version for the last several days and I can confirm the frame rate is actually pretty steady. I didn't buy the Switch because all I wanted was BOTW, I wasn't going to blow $400+ to play a single game. Honestly, based on the Digital Foundry video I watched, the WiiU version actually has a more consistent frame rate then the Switch version when docked, which is odd. Draw distance is worse, graphics aren't anywhere near as crisp or detailed, and there's zero dynamic lighting and shadows, plus the physics on enemies are more toned down, almost canned. But if you're looking to just enjoy the game without buying a new expensive Zelda box, I'd just get the WiiU version, it works for me. I'll get a Switch eventually, when there's more games, but having a last gen WiiU version made the decision easy, I'll be waiting for now.

[Dangard Ace]

18 minutes ago, Duymon said:

 

Like 14 shrines finished here.

I finished these really hard Strength test shrines that had guardian bots. One dropped a 30 dmg axe. I then broke that axe to kill the next shrine boss that dropped a 68 dmg axe O_o. I haven't used it once because I fear it will break before I actually do need it.

The weakest weapon I have is an Iron sledgehammer that I only ever use to break rocks and Stasis slamming. You can keep getting replacement sledgehammers from Kurikiro Village or whatever. It respawns every few days.

I used to keep an Axe for trees but bombs take out trees. Bombs also kill most low level crap especially after you upgrade them.

Low level Goblin? Bomb

Chuchu? Bomb

Bats? Drop Bomb, dash, detonate, collect loot

School of Fish? Bomb

Trees? Bomb

Wooden Crates? Bomb

New enemy? Try Bomb First.

I will actually climb mountains just to roll bombs down on strong mobs.

Bomb Everything, because Bombs are infinite.

I didn't have to buy Bomberman to play Bomberman. Zelda does it quite well.

 

Haha.  This.  I do the exact same thing with bombs.   Did not know you could upgrade the armor.  I've just been running around trying to tag all the spires and shrines.  Think I'm between 25-30 shrines now.  The rock covered lightning shrine was fun.  "Which metal weapon do I want to sacrifice to open this shrine up?"  Climb on top.  Drop weapon.  RUNAWAY.  No boom? Creep closer....BOOM.  

[kajnrig]

The Wii U version plays similarly to the portable mode of the Switch version (ie 720p with decreased texture filtering) but with the framerate hiccups of the docked mode (ie random drops to 20fps from 30). Digital Foundry postulate that the drops are due to the game's implementation of bilinear filtering since they happen regardless of how complex things are on screen.

Other than that the two versions run identically.

[Mommar]

They just need to patch the game so that the majority of the time you use new weapons because you found something with better stats rather than because every time you unsheathe them they snap.  It's funny how it's pushed everybody to just spam using bombs, which I find gets rather boring.

You can't lob bombs while on horseback can you?  I've never tried.  Or am I the only one who regularly uses the horses to get around?

1 hour ago, Dangard Ace said:

Did not know you could upgrade the armor.  

There's a Great Fairy floating around who will upgrade your armor for a price.  I just found a new set and I'm going to pop back over to her and see if she can upgrade that set too.

The digital foundry thing is overstated though.  It's not like at any point you're suddenly having to finish an entire fight at sub 20 frames per second.  We're talking about a half a second hiccup at rare times.  There's no consistent, or persistent frame drops.  I would say there are more caveats to whether or not you should get the Switch or a WiiU.  if you already own a WiiU and want to wait on the Switch that's an easy choice.  If you don't own a WiiU the first question is why not?  If there aren't any other games you want then getting a WiiU and BotW will save you a bit of money and that's about it.  If you want more WiiU games it gets more complicated because some of them are being remade for Switch too.  Getting a Switch costs more, and you have limited options for other games currently, but the Switch is more powerful, you can play on the TV, play on the toilet, play on the train, plane, in a car, etc...  It's more convenient to find times to play it besides just at home is what I'm saying.  Plus, so far it's selling much better than the WiiU so there's at least promise of more games to come that you might like.

[kajnrig]

39 minutes ago, Mommar said:

The digital foundry thing is overstated though.

I dunno, I wouldn't call it overstated so much as... well, it's there for anyone who cares, but anyone who cares needs to be careful about how much they care. Framerate isn't the be all end all of video games, and yeah, going from 30 to 20 fps sounds bad on paper but isn't quite so bad in practice. It's annoying, but not self-destructive.

I think this would be more of an issue if Nintendo had made a big deal about framerate in their marketing, which they smartly didn't. I'm surprised people aren't making it more of an issue on PS4 and Xbone, both of which made heavy and explicit marketing pushes out of 1080p60 and yet right out of the gate we had games at sub-30fps and sub-1080p marks. They actually lied to customers; Nintendo just didn't say anything.

[Duymon]

I had to unbox my dock and see what all the chatter was about regarding BoTW docked feeling choppier than BoTW handheld.

I could certainly tell the gameplay felt a lot choppier (pretty sure it wasn't my TV - Vizio 120Hz @ 1080p) 

I'm sure many who wanted to do the couch experience with the pro controller might be a little miffed but I'm totally chill with it since I'm playing handheld only (dock's already boxed up again. Couldn't trade it in at phail stop ;/)

[Mommar]

Maybe I chose the wrong word.  I think the issue is miss-understood.  They make it seem like long stretches of the game run at a lower framerate when it's only fraction of second drops on rare occasion.

 

Honestly, I didn't notice any real framerate differences between the handheld and TV modes but I only played a small bit of the intro on my TV.  Since then I've had no time to sit at home.  

[kanedaestes]

I feel it's the choppiest oddly in the beginning on the Great Plateau. After that it ran fine

[mikeszekely]

53 minutes ago, Duymon said:

I had to unbox my dock and see what all the chatter was about regarding BoTW docked feeling choppier than BoTW handheld.

I could certainly tell the gameplay felt a lot choppier (pretty sure it wasn't my TV - Vizio 120Hz @ 1080p) 

I'm sure many who wanted to do the couch experience with the pro controller might be a little miffed but I'm totally chill with it since I'm playing handheld only (dock's already boxed up again. Couldn't trade it in at phail stop ;/)

Are you looking to sell it?  Not sure how much it'd be worth, since I assume the new ones for $90 come with an AC adapter ($30), but I might be interested in one for the living room...

Anyway, yes to the bomb spamming, but I haven't found the parts to upgrade them.

The Great Fairy is near the shrine just north of Kakariko Village. Just follow the path up the hill to the left, can't miss it.

As fragile as the weapons are, combat has been a fairly minor part of the game that I guess it doesn't ruin things for me. Especially after Hestu upgrades your inventory a couple times... if something breaks, I've got a small arsenal on me.

As for the performance, my dad seems content playing it on the Wii U. I've noticed some stuttering on the Switch in docked mode, but nothing game breaking. I honestly really like the flexibility to play on the TV or in handled mode. It was one of the things I kinda liked about the Wii U, except I don't have to worry about the gamepad losing connection if I stray too far from the console.

[Mommar]

Most of these are either dumb or not that interesting but the thirteenth one is actually really cool.
 

 

I'm telling you, handheld mode is one of those things you really don't think you need until suddenly you have it and then it's simply a requirement.

Edited March 8, 2017 by Mommar

[UN Spacy]

Any spoilers? I'm still on my first Divine Beast lol.

[Convectuoso]

19 hours ago, Mommar said:

It runs on the WiiU but not as well, and the graphics aren't as good.  Framerate is worse.  Draw distances aren't as far.  Foliage density is lower.  Textures are lower resolution.  There are more modern lighting effects that don't exist on the WiiU version. 

I thought so. Thanks for making it clearer for me

[Dangard Ace]

Yup I know of the great fairy.  I just forgot about her.  haha.

 

Best recipe I've done so far is 5 Hearty Durians.  Full Recovery and a bunch of extra yellow hearts.

[Archer]

Went ahead an ordered some tempered glass screen protectors. I absolutely loathe using screen protectors, but I loathe scratches on the screen even more. 

A little disappointed that Nintendo went with plastic instead of glass (didn't even need to be Gorilla glass either). 

[Mommar]

Damn, Nintendo eShop update today is going to kill me.  Blaster Master, only $9.99, six Neo Geo games and a portable only Rhythm title called VOEZ that looks like a lot of fun.

 

 

[Duymon]

1 hour ago, Mommar said:

Damn, Nintendo eShop update today is going to kill me.  Blaster Master, only $9.99, six Neo Geo games and a portable only Rhythm title called VOEZ that looks like a lot of fun.

Dang I already bought most of the New Geo Games on my JP Account.

Cool thing is it all auto-downloaded to my SD card and I can play ALL of my content from either American or JP Nintendo account on my switch just like on PS3 / PS4 (screw u vita)

 

edit: Now that I think about it I bought wi-fi Vita at launch with 32gb mem stick and it was like $350 in 2012. Makes my Nintendo switch feel like a stellar value in comparison. 

Edited March 9, 2017 by Duymon

[danth]

I haven't played Breath of the Wild yet but the weapon breaking mechanic does sound annoying as hell. And yet this game has 98% on metacritic. I stopped trusting game reviews a long time ago but if the weapon breaking stuff is half as annoying as you guys make it sound, a 98% score is laughable. 

[Sandman]

On 2017-03-07 at 9:56 AM, dizman said:

Some good info in this video about the materials and durability of the switch.

 

I couldn't even watch this without looking the other way. Same to wreck a perfectly good system.

[Archer]

1 hour ago, Sandman said:

I couldn't even watch this without looking the other way. Same to wreck a perfectly good system.

It is good info though. I haven't yet used the system in handheld mode, so I was not aware the screen was plastic (!). It prompted me to grab some glass screen protectors. 

Even if Nintendo did a plastic screen on purpose so it doesn't shatter with drops, it's strange that they couldn't put some soft material for the rails instead of hard plastic. Alternatively, they could have designed a much more secure fit than the wobbly dock fit we have now.

1 hour ago, danth said:

I haven't played Breath of the Wild yet but the weapon breaking mechanic does sound annoying as hell. And yet this game has 98% on metacritic. I stopped trusting game reviews a long time ago but if the weapon breaking stuff is half as annoying as you guys make it sound, a 98% score is laughable. 

I actually don't find it that bad. In fact, I kind of enjoy for the sole purpose that it makes me switch up my play style. It is just one opinion, but I absolutely feel this game is deserving of that 98. It's been a long time since a game this fun has come around for me. Even witcher 3 wasn't this enjoyable.

[Mommar]

I HATE the breaking the mechanic or, rather, I hate how quickly weapons break.  Despite that I find the game impossible to put down.  It's just that engaging IMO. 

 

I do have a complaint about the Switch proper, it seems like the hardware really has a hard time identifying wireless signals.  The wireless at my Mom's home is terrible and slow but every phone/PC/etc... I've brought in there can at least identify the access point is there.  The Switch cannot.  Also, the Switch can barely hold onto the signal in my office even though the laptop and phone work like they're plugged in on a landline.

 

...I have thirteen games for this damn thing now.

Edited March 10, 2017 by Mommar

[Mazinger]

The worlds converge.

[Mommar]

After fidgeting with the Neo Geo games and Blaster Master I've determined they need a new JoyCon with a proper D-Pad.  Controlling all of those 2D games sucks with both the four buttons and the analog stick.

[Duymon]

6 hours ago, Mommar said:

After fidgeting with the Neo Geo games and Blaster Master I've determined they need a new JoyCon with a proper D-Pad.  Controlling all of those 2D games sucks with both the four buttons and the analog stick.

Agreed. I bought KOF 98 just to see how the button dpad works and it falls very, very short lol. basic back-forward charge moves on Garcia were hard enough. Trying to use Ryo and his ryu/ken moveset was nearly impossible.

[Mommar]

1 hour ago, Duymon said:

Agreed. I bought KOF 98 just to see how the button dpad works and it falls very, very short lol. basic back-forward charge moves on Garcia were hard enough. Trying to use Ryo and his ryu/ken moveset was nearly impossible.

It's irritating when I suggest an alternate left joycon and the fanboys come out of the woodwork to "explain" to me why there's no D-Pad and that the four buttons are "good enough."

[Duymon]

33 minutes ago, Mommar said:

It's irritating when I suggest an alternate left joycon and the fanboys come out of the woodwork to "explain" to me why there's no D-Pad and that the four buttons are "good enough."

I know right?

I hate how fanbois keep telling me it had to be that way for 2-player. If I had to choose between using buttons as a dpad or using a dpad as buttons, I would've chosen using a dpad as buttons hands down as the better compromise. 

At this point I am holding off buying any sort of extra control peripheral for my switch. Maybe one day they'll release an L D-pad Joycon. 

More likely, we'll see a 3rd-party front-cover for the L Joy-con that uses a D-pad to hit the 4 contact pts vs an individual button for each.

I wish more mobile game platforms had Amazing D-pads like the Neo Geo Pocket. That clicky 8-way thumb-pad was friggin amazing.

Edited March 10, 2017 by Duymon

[Mommar]

25 minutes ago, Duymon said:

I know right?

I hate how fanbois keep telling me it had to be that way for 2-player. If I had to choose between using buttons as a dpad or using a dpad as buttons, I would've chosen using a dpad as buttons hands down as the better compromise. 

At this point I am holding off buying any sort of extra control peripheral for my switch. Maybe one day they'll release an L D-pad Joycon. 

More likely, we'll see a 3rd-party front-cover for the L Joy-con that uses a D-pad to hit the 4 contact pts vs an individual button for each.

I wish more mobile game platforms had Amazing D-pads like the Neo Geo Pocket. That clicky 8-way thumb-pad was friggin amazing.

Yeah, "well how are you going to play 2-player then???"  I'm not.  We have used the D-Pad as four buttons before on the N64 controller.  And the D-Pad works far better as four buttons then four buttons do functioning as a D-pad.  I actually really liked that goofy N64 controller.  Just to make Turok harder I'd play it left handed sometimes.

I've never used the Neo Geo Pocket, I don't know what that D-Pad is like.  I had an eight way D-pad on an old PC controller but it was really finicky and difficult to use and was practically as worthless as the 360's D-Pad was.

[mikeszekely]

14 hours ago, danth said:

I haven't played Breath of the Wild yet but the weapon breaking mechanic does sound annoying as hell. And yet this game has 98% on metacritic. I stopped trusting game reviews a long time ago but if the weapon breaking stuff is half as annoying as you guys make it sound, a 98% score is laughable. 

It's annoying, but the thing is combat is such a small part of the game that issues like it are why the game is a 98 and not 100. It's not perfect, and the fragility of the weapons is one of the reasons why, but it really is that good. More than once I've stayed up too late because I lost track of time while exploring (or cooking). Playing Zelda was the last thing I did before going to sleep and the first thing in my mind this morning when I woke up.

As for the new eShop stuff, I wasn't particularly interested in any of it, but I saw Blaster Master is from IntiCreates so in might have to rethink that one.