Nintendo Switch thread for Nintendo Switch players

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

16 hours ago, SnowxSakura said:

I feel like mega man would do really well on this system too

 

Seconded. A remake of Mega Man X, that one had the awesomest graphics and sound and I thought it was insanely difficult when I was young.

 

16 hours ago, hugglebunn-e said:

That is a shame, retro sprite based rpgs are really some of the best for my money. And, graphic wise they never seem to age poorly. 

 

If you ever consider taking the plunge try FFVI and Chrono Trigger.

 

I am currently replaying FF1 on the mini NES, and for me it still holds up. Fun, sharp graphics, the music is just great, and amazingly enough I am picking up on things I never did as a kid. For instance, the Black Belt character appears to generate more damage without equipping him with a weapon, what the F, this was a game changer for me the day. I never never would have picked up on this as a kid.

 

Personally, I;m not all that into "retro" graphics. If it's actual retro games then sure (getting a lot of mileage out of my SNES these past few months) but those new games with retro graphics are more miss than hit with me. Games which worked that I can think of are Stealth Inc., Super Meat Boy, Fez, Thomas Was Alone, Papers Please... the list of retro graphic titles I can't stand is much longer.

 

I actually played a couple of RPG games. The only ones I really liked were Stick Of Truth, Pokémon and Super Mario RPG. Just talking about turn-based games now, by the way.

 

15 hours ago, MosesRockefeller said:

Interestingly enough, here in the USA we used to have Electronic Boutique and Software Etc, but they both disappeared (at least in my area, they might still use those brands elsewhere). I know of at least one Software Etc store that changed into a Gamestop, but I'm not sure how EB factored into it. I would guess Gamestop's parent company bought both brands. Anyway, now we only have GameStop, and it sounds like they work the same in Australia as the USA. Best Buy isn't too bad for games, but it's really only good for new stuff, where the GCU program is a very useful system. 

 

Sadly I've never discovered a cool GameStop, hell, even my local GameStops seem to be pretty much deprived of gaming joy. I frequently wear gaming shirts when visiting them (mostly my Ratchet and Rocket Raccoon shirt - two badass marsupial-ish characters who love big guns), and the staff never comment on them. But we do have a few independent stores that sell games, at least before they inevitably go out of business that is. 

 

Oh wait, am I allowed to post here since I don't have a Switch pre-ordered yet? Can I consider myself a Switch owner since I fully intend to get one as close to launch as possible? Actually, I finally have time to stop by my local GameStop tonight so I can enjoy watching the staff laugh at me when I ask about putting my name on the official "We'll call you in December 2017 when we have more Switches" list. At this point Zelda and Mario Odyssey are my definite buys, but I would love to grab some Virtual Console games if it has some games at launch. 

 

Hearing all your stories makes me so glad we have Game Mania over here. I can get along very well with the manager of my town's store and I really only buy my new games there, and much of the merchandise and second-hand games as well, and the games that I can't sell/trade on get traded in there most of the time because their trade-in rate is decent (provided they don't have a couple of dozen of the title already lying around).

 

And rules schmules, sure you can post if you're intent on getting the Switch. Those 'thread rules' are there to prevent people without interest in the console to take over the discussion.

 

Personally, I'd try a few stores/sites besides GameStop to maximise chances of getting a Switch soon.

[MosesRockefeller]

BillyHorrible, thanks for the note of support. You're not as horrible as they say! You're just a big softy like Bowser.

 

Anyway, last night I stopped in at GameStop, which was a waste of time like I suspected. I asked the guy if I could have my name put on a list and he said no. What he did do, was add my email to a mailing list to get info about the Switch launch. So far I haven't gotten anything, and I'm expecting it to be useless information I already know (assuming they actually send me anything at all). The clerk told me to try my luck on launch day. 

 

I guess GameStop is doing the typical store policy of not allowing orders if stock is not guaranteed. Even Amazon doesn't allow orders sometimes, when a product doesn't have additional stock coming soon (for example, when a popular item has a heavy discount). It doesn't really make sense to me for Gamestop though, I would think it would benefit them to have a list of potential buyers that they could call up. As long as they made it clear to those people that it wasn't a guaranteed sale, they would guarantee their launch stock gets sold quickly. It would be win/win for them. Maybe they just don't want to deal with stupid people expecting guaranteed availability, but that's no different in practice from people being turned away when they run out of stock. Oh well. 

 

I'm not sure there's much point in going to other stores. I think they're all going to work the same way. GameStop was really my best shot at getting a system potentially set aside for me. None of the big stores are going to do that, certainly. 

 

At this point my best bet is to keep my eye out for pre-order restocks at Amazon or Best Buy (which is probably a long shot, I am historically very unlucky at getting in quickly on those deals that are gone in minutes... by the time I find out about it, it's already on SlickDeals or whatever, and it's gone). I'll probably have more luck staking out a store on launch day, which I really don't want to do. It's my own fault, I should have preordered the minute they became available, and canceled later if I wasn't "sold" on getting one. 

 

I'm assuming I won't have one for a while, so this way I can be pleasantly surprised if I do somehow get one at launch. 

 

 

I don't want to be just a Debbie Downer, so to end this on a more positive note, there are some cool stores here and there in the US of A. I was actually shopping at a grocery store where an employee complimented me on my Ratchet/Rocket shirt (and he actually named Ratchet after one or two wrong guesses, so at least he's a somewhat hardcore gamer), and he told me about a cool gaming store that's actually on my drive home. That's right, somebody at a grocery store commented on my gaming shirt while GameStop staff never have. He probably engaged me because he was trying to sell me something, but GameStop staff also bug me about sales, they just don't comment on my shirt or show real interest in gaming. They do talk up the popular stuff I'm not interested in (like Overwatch and other MP games) but that's about it. As I mentioned before, these non-chain gaming stores tend to sell older games and systems based on nostalgia, which is cool, but not a good option for getting new games. 

[DaivRules]

7 minutes ago, MosesRockefeller said:

I guess GameStop is doing the typical store policy of not allowing orders if stock is not guaranteed. Even Amazon doesn't allow orders sometimes, when a product doesn't have additional stock coming soon (for example, when a popular item has a heavy discount).

 

I'm not sure there's much point in going to other stores.

 

Hit up a Target, they're still doing pre-orders for the Switch if you're intent on getting one launch day: http://www.target.com/c/nintendo-switch/-/N-4hny0

[RedPage17]

13 minutes ago, MosesRockefeller said:

BillyHorrible, thanks for the note of support. You're not as horrible as they say! You're just a big softy like Bowser.

 

Anyway, last night I stopped in at GameStop, which was a waste of time like I suspected. I asked the guy if I could have my name put on a list and he said no. What he did do, was add my email to a mailing list to get info about the Switch launch. So far I haven't gotten anything, and I'm expecting it to be useless information I already know (assuming they actually send me anything at all). The clerk told me to try my luck on launch day. 

 

I guess GameStop is doing the typical store policy of not allowing orders if stock is not guaranteed. Even Amazon doesn't allow orders sometimes, when a product doesn't have additional stock coming soon (for example, when a popular item has a heavy discount). It doesn't really make sense to me for Gamestop though, I would think it would benefit them to have a list of potential buyers that they could call up. As long as they made it clear to those people that it wasn't a guaranteed sale, they would guarantee their launch stock gets sold quickly. It would be win/win for them. Maybe they just don't want to deal with stupid people expecting guaranteed availability, but that's no different in practice from people being turned away when they run out of stock. Oh well. 

 

I'm not sure there's much point in going to other stores. I think they're all going to work the same way. GameStop was really my best shot at getting a system potentially set aside for me. None of the big stores are going to do that, certainly. 

 

At this point my best bet is to keep my eye out for pre-order restocks at Amazon or Best Buy (which is probably a long shot, I am historically very unlucky at getting in quickly on those deals that are gone in minutes... by the time I find out about it, it's already on SlickDeals or whatever, and it's gone). I'll probably have more luck staking out a store on launch day, which I really don't want to do. It's my own fault, I should have preordered the minute they became available, and canceled later if I wasn't "sold" on getting one. 

 

I'm assuming I won't have one for a while, so this way I can be pleasantly surprised if I do somehow get one at launch. 

 

 

I don't want to be just a Debbie Downer, so to end this on a more positive note, there are some cool stores here and there in the US of A. I was actually shopping at a grocery store where an employee complimented me on my Ratchet/Rocket shirt (and he actually named Ratchet after one or two wrong guesses, so at least he's a somewhat hardcore gamer), and he told me about a cool gaming store that's actually on my drive home. That's right, somebody at a grocery store commented on my gaming shirt while GameStop staff never have. He probably engaged me because he was trying to sell me something, but GameStop staff also bug me about sales, they just don't comment on my shirt or show real interest in gaming. They do talk up the popular stuff I'm not interested in (like Overwatch and other MP games) but that's about it. As I mentioned before, these non-chain gaming stores tend to sell older games and systems based on nostalgia, which is cool, but not a good option for getting new games. 

 

As @DaivRules said, try Target. My local Target is already setting up their Switch display, and seems to have a pretty good preorder business going on.

 

And, as far as Gamestop goes they are not great. We have two in my town, one is just the worst and the other is okay. They push protection plans like crazy and are generally not very helpful. We also have a small independent shop a little down the road that has been in business for close to twenty years, and they are a really great group of people, but it is a challenge for most small shops to stay in operation, as luck has it we have a pretty active gaming community in the small city I live in so that helps.

[MosesRockefeller]

34 minutes ago, DaivRules said:

 

Hit up a Target, they're still doing pre-orders for the Switch if you're intent on getting one launch day: http://www.target.com/c/nintendo-switch/-/N-4hny0

Huh, thanks for the info. I'm not a fan of Target (treating customers like criminals for making returns is not a good policy), so I didn't even think of it! I'll give that a shot, thanks. 

[RedPage17]

31 minutes ago, MosesRockefeller said:

Huh, thanks for the info. I'm not a fan of Target (treating customers like criminals for making returns is not a good policy), so I didn't even think of it! I'll give that a shot, thanks. 

 

I have never had an issue with Target with making returns. I just give them my credit card, I do not even give them a receipt, and boom I get a credit. Perhaps this is determined by region or something.

[DaivRules]

35 minutes ago, MosesRockefeller said:

Huh, thanks for the info. I'm not a fan of Target (treating customers like criminals for making returns is not a good policy), so I didn't even think of it! I'll give that a shot, thanks. 

 

Whoa, I don't want to go off topic, but what?!?! Of all the places I make returns, Target is the easiest, fastest and least hassle. Ever since they rolled out receipt lookup in the late 90's, I don't know anyone that's had issues. Hell, I know people who have went in with receipts on the 90th day of their 90 day policy and no hesitation whatsoever it gets returned.

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

1 hour ago, MosesRockefeller said:

BillyHorrible, thanks for the note of support. You're not as horrible as they say! You're just a big softy like Bowser.

 

Naturally! Bowser is awesome.

 

And I will gladly take this reference to my gamertag as a chance to introduce a few more people to the reason I chose "Billy Horrible" as my tag...

Spoiler

 

 

1 hour ago, MosesRockefeller said:

At this point my best bet is to keep my eye out for pre-order restocks at Amazon or Best Buy (which is probably a long shot, I am historically very unlucky at getting in quickly on those deals that are gone in minutes... by the time I find out about it, it's already on SlickDeals or whatever, and it's gone). I'll probably have more luck staking out a store on launch day, which I really don't want to do. It's my own fault, I should have preordered the minute they became available, and canceled later if I wasn't "sold" on getting one.

 

Not trying to rub it in but that's exactly what I did - pre-order a Switch, Zelda, Mario and an extra controller for good measure, and see if I get excited or not. Turns out, I got very excited.

 

Personally, I'd just try a few other stores as well. Perhaps also some toy stores like Toys'R'Us, or do they not do games and such? Other people seem to point towards Target.

 

It's weird if game stores don't keep pre-order lists. Game Mania over here has run out of pre-order availability but they still keep a list and people will get called once more stock arrives. It's how I got my PS4, went on the waiting list in June 2014 (PS4s were constantly sold out in my country in its first year), and got a call a few weeks later when they got a big shipment with which they could deliver on almost everyone on the list.

 

 

 

On the main topic of the Switch, I made the mistake of checking out which Zelda games had which bosses and I'm now even more excited for Breath Of The Wild. I'm almost tempted to search for a GBA and Minish Cap, that's how weird this waiting period is getting for me. I watched the "Go God Go" South Park episodes to keep myself from doing something stupid.

[SnowxSakura]

22 minutes ago, BillyHorrible said:

 

Naturally! Bowser is awesome.

 

And I will gladly take this reference to my gamertag as a chance to introduce a few more people to the reason I chose "Billy Horrible" as my tag...

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

Not trying to rub it in but that's exactly what I did - pre-order a Switch, Zelda, Mario and an extra controller for good measure, and see if I get excited or not. Turns out, I got very excited.

 

Personally, I'd just try a few other stores as well. Perhaps also some toy stores like Toys'R'Us, or do they not do games and such? Other people seem to point towards Target.

 

It's weird if game stores don't keep pre-order lists. Game Mania over here has run out of pre-order availability but they still keep a list and people will get called once more stock arrives. It's how I got my PS4, went on the waiting list in June 2014 (PS4s were constantly sold out in my country in its first year), and got a call a few weeks later when they got a big shipment with which they could deliver on almost everyone on the list.

 

 

 

On the main topic of the Switch, I made the mistake of checking out which Zelda games had which bosses and I'm now even more excited for Breath Of The Wild. I'm almost tempted to search for a GBA and Minish Cap, that's how weird this waiting period is getting for me. I watched the "Go God Go" South Park episodes to keep myself from doing something stupid.

I believe that's on the virtual console for purchase

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

2 minutes ago, SnowxSakura said:

I believe that's on the virtual console for purchase

 

Which is exactly why it's stupid. I just have to wait it out and have faith that the Switch Virtual Console will have at least the same amount of Zelda as the one on the Wii U and everything will be fine in the end. It's not like I have nothing else to do this month. Even if we just look at gaming, there's more than enough for me to still play.

[SnowxSakura]

Just now, BillyHorrible said:

 

Which is exactly why it's stupid. I just have to wait it out and have faith that the Switch Virtual Console will have at least the same amount of Zelda as the one on the Wii U and everything will be fine in the end. It's not like I have nothing else to do this month. Even if we just look at gaming, there's more than enough for me to still play.

Hopefully it won't be like from the Wii-WiiU where it took a long time for them to re-release the same titles and everything just be available from the start

[MosesRockefeller]

2 hours ago, DaivRules said:

 

Whoa, I don't want to go off topic, but what?!?! Of all the places I make returns, Target is the easiest, fastest and least hassle. Ever since they rolled out receipt lookup in the late 90's, I don't know anyone that's had issues. Hell, I know people who have went in with receipts on the 90th day of their 90 day policy and no hesitation whatsoever it gets returned.

 

I'll use spoiler tags to at least cut down on my long post for the uninterested: 

Spoiler

I had bad experiences with Target starting in 2006. We used them for our wedding registry and the item selection process was horrible, and returns after the wedding were even worse. Now admittedly that's a non-standard situation but it's still a return. Even WITH gift receipts we were only allowed to return a certain "annual" amount of items (I think it was 2 but it might have been 4 or so). People bought duplicates past that, as usually happens with weddings according to friends and family, and we were stuck with all those extra items. Part of the problem is that people don't understand how to mark gift list items as "purchased", but that's not my fault when I need to return a gift. I've also returned a few items I purchased over the years, and again been treated poorly, not being offered things like receipt lookup for the couple of times I lost a receipt (I didn't even know they had that ability until reading your post). 

 

I probably haven't returned anything for a 2 or 3 years now, so maybe they have improved. It's also possible that my local stores (there are 2 near me) have crappy customer service and make the rules more strict than company policy because they hate customers. I dunno. 

 

We still shop there occasionally, but my bad experiences prevent me from ever choosing it when their are alternatives that I know are hassle-free. Returns at Wal-Mart and especially Best Buy are a breeze, apart from occasionally long lines, which can be managed by going at non-peak times. 

 

Maybe I did just have isolated experiences, but it doesn't exactly fill me with confidence about buying a Switch from one of my local Targets. Now you better believe I'll be keeping a receipt for an expensive item like that, so a missing receipt won't be an issue. I probably won't return it anyway, but it still makes me a little bit leery. I do know stores can vary from area to area; I've heard a lot of horror stories about Best Buy but my local one is easily the best "big chain" shopping experience I've ever had, even going back the decade or so I've shopped there (actually it's gotten even more streamlined and hassle-free in the past 2 years or so, but it was already great). So who knows. The weird thing is the regular staff at my local Targets are always nice and cheerful... maybe it's just the Customer Service people that hate life? 

 

 

1 hour ago, BillyHorrible said:

 

Which is exactly why it's stupid. I just have to wait it out and have faith that the Switch Virtual Console will have at least the same amount of Zelda as the one on the Wii U and everything will be fine in the end. It's not like I have nothing else to do this month. Even if we just look at gaming, there's more than enough for me to still play.

I know you don't have either the Wii U or the 3DS (and that's your own fault ), but between the two systems I'm 99% sure all the Nintendo Zelda games are available. Hopefully Nintendo will be smart and combine the 2 libraries for Switch since it's both console and handheld. IIRC, Minish Cap is ONLY on Wii U (not 3DS), so they can't even use the excuse that the Switch isn't replacing the 3DS so it won't have portable Virtual Console games. I actually had a copy of Minish Cap for my GBA but never played it thanks to my stupid backlog. I ended up selling it when I upgraded to the non-portable Wii U version; hopefully the Switch will get it so I can transfer it there, to play it on the go like it was intended... or more likely it will sit on my backlog, still unplayed.

 

I've been reading more about the Switch and Breath of the Wild, and I think this might be the game that finally hooks me on the Zelda series. I've played through 90% of Zelda 1 (I got stuck on the last boss and gave up having to re-play the whole dungeon on the Wii version without save states, on the 3DS and Wii U versions you can save right at the boss and retry from there if needed... I'm not 16 anymore and I don't have the patience for that crap now) and a good chunk of Link From the Past, but I've never gotten very far with the 3D titles I've tried. I think Breath of the Wild might change that. 

Edited February 7, 2017 by MosesRockefeller

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

2 hours ago, SnowxSakura said:

Hopefully it won't be like from the Wii-WiiU where it took a long time for them to re-release the same titles and everything just be available from the start

 

Honestly, the state of the Virtual Console at launch is what interests me the most out of the unknown information. Well, maybe tied with what the hell Retro Studios and Game Freak are both up to.

 

It seems to me like they intend to make a killing with the Virtual Console on the Switch so I kind of expect the Wii U roster from the start and lots of additions later on.

 

56 minutes ago, MosesRockefeller said:

 

I'll use spoiler tags to at least cut down on my long post for the uninterested: 

  Reveal hidden contents

I had bad experiences with Target starting in 2006. We used them for our wedding registry and the item selection process was horrible, and returns after the wedding were even worse. Now admittedly that's a non-standard situation but it's still a return. Even WITH gift receipts we were only allowed to return a certain "annual" amount of items (I think it was 2 but it might have been 4 or so). People bought duplicates past that, as usually happens with weddings according to friends and family, and we were stuck with all those extra items. Part of the problem is that people don't understand how to mark gift list items as "purchased", but that's not my fault when I need to return a gift. I've also returned a few items I purchased over the years, and again been treated poorly, not being offered things like receipt lookup for the couple of times I lost a receipt (I didn't even know they had that ability until reading your post). 

 

I probably haven't returned anything for a 2 or 3 years now, so maybe they have improved. It's also possible that my local stores (there are 2 near me) have crappy customer service and make the rules more strict than company policy because they hate customers. I dunno. 

 

We still shop there occasionally, but my bad experiences prevent me from ever choosing it when their are alternatives that I know are hassle-free. Returns at Wal-Mart and especially Best Buy are a breeze, apart from occasionally long lines, which can be managed by going at non-peak times. 

 

Maybe I did just have isolated experiences, but it doesn't exactly fill me with confidence about buying a Switch from one of my local Targets. Now you better believe I'll be keeping a receipt for an expensive item like that, so a missing receipt won't be an issue. I probably won't return it anyway, but it still makes me a little bit leery. I do know stores can vary from area to area; I've heard a lot of horror stories about Best Buy but my local one is easily the best "big chain" shopping experience I've ever had, even going back the decade or so I've shopped there (actually it's gotten even more streamlined and hassle-free in the past 2 years or so, but it was already great). So who knows. The weird thing is the regular staff at my local Targets are always nice and cheerful... maybe it's just the Customer Service people that hate life? 

 

 

I know you don't have either the Wii U or the 3DS (and that's your own fault ), but between the two systems I'm 99% sure all the Nintendo Zelda games are available. Hopefully Nintendo will be smart and combine the 2 libraries for Switch since it's both console and handheld. IIRC, Minish Cap is ONLY on Wii U (not 3DS), so they can't even use the excuse that the Switch isn't replacing the 3DS so it won't have portable Virtual Console games. I actually had a copy of Minish Cap for my GBA but never played it thanks to my stupid backlog. I ended up selling it when I upgraded to the non-portable Wii U version; hopefully the Switch will get it so I can transfer it there, to play it on the go like it was intended... or more likely it will sit on my backlog, still unplayed.

 

I've been reading more about the Switch and Breath of the Wild, and I think this might be the game that finally hooks me on the Zelda series. I've played through 90% of Zelda 1 (I got stuck on the last boss and gave up having to re-play the whole dungeon on the Wii version without save states, on the 3DS and Wii U versions you can save right at the boss and retry from there if needed... I'm not 16 anymore and I don't have the patience for that crap now) and a good chunk of Link From the Past, but I've never gotten very far with the 3D titles I've tried. I think Breath of the Wild might change that. 

 

On my phone so can't cut down on your post but I'm just replying to the VC and Zelda stuff.

 

I know what games are on the Virtual Consoles thanks to the wiki lists and yeah, all Zeldas are on there except for consoles GC and later, and for handhelds 3DS.

 

WiiU actually has loads of handheld VC titles, more than the 3DS. The 3DS had no GBA games at all (except for the ten titles exclusive to people getting a 3DS in the first couple of months). I expect the Switch to do even better in the handheld VC department.

 

Breath Of The Wild does seem like a game to pull in new gamers. I still love Ocarina Of Time though. And I recently played through A Link To The Past on my SNES, so without every second save states; die at a boss means restart the dungeon!

[SnowxSakura]

I'd imagine they're still working on Pokemon Z and the rumored Switch release of "Pokemon Star"

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

2 minutes ago, SnowxSakura said:

I'd imagine they're still working on Pokemon Z and the rumored Switch release of "Pokemon Star"

 

No info except rumours though... And as for Retro Studios, it's even less than rumours.

[MosesRockefeller]

3 hours ago, BillyHorrible said:

I know what games are on the Virtual Consoles thanks to the wiki lists and yeah, all Zeldas are on there except for consoles GC and later, and for handhelds 3DS.

 

WiiU actually has loads of handheld VC titles, more than the 3DS. The 3DS had no GBA games at all (except for the ten titles exclusive to people getting a 3DS in the first couple of months). I expect the Switch to do even better in the handheld VC department.

 

Breath Of The Wild does seem like a game to pull in new gamers. I still love Ocarina Of Time though. And I recently played through A Link To The Past on my SNES, so without every second save states; die at a boss means restart the dungeon!

Oh yeah, of course I meant the Virtual Consoles have all the Zeldas up through N64 and DS, not the later ones. 

 

And yes, the Wii U has tons of handheld VC games, it's a bit of an insult to 3DS owners that most of them aren't available there. 

 

I don't need to save every second, but at least let me save at the end of a large dungeon like the last one in Zelda 1 (which has multiple bosses). That's just artificially frustrating. My nostalgia for the NES (and I suppose SNES) era is limited though, I realize there are a lot of great games but I have no need to suffer through the artificially hard games of the era (which is a lot of them). I already played most of them when I was a kid and I have too many games to play now (once again, my backlog is large and fearsome) to deal with time-extending/wasting gameplay mechanics. 

 

On the subject of Ocarina of Time, my initial attempt at the game was stopped by something similar to Zelda 1. From what I could see, even the 3DS version doesn't allow you to save where you suspend the game for the day (unless you leave the game running, which isn't always feasible), save loading always sticks you back at your room, making you trudge back to wherever you were at the last session. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I noticed and without fast travel that I could see, that's a pretty silly limitation for a handheld game (I know the N64 version isn't, but the 3DS version is supposed to be). Actually, now that I think about it, the Wii VC version should allow you to resume where you left off, and the Wii U VC version should have save states. Hmm... 

 

 

Also, my visit to Target tonight was a waste, as I suspected. I asked the "Tech" employee about pre-ordering the Switch, and she said it was online only. And the website shows "Coming Soon", which is what most of the other retailers say for "preorders sold out". I'm not sure if it's actually true or if the employee was just lazy or ignorant of the preorder process. 
 

At this rate my unsuccessful attempts to get a Switch are approaching "comedy of errors" levels. I should start a thread called "How Not to Get a Nintendo Console at Launch - Switch Edition". I didn't get the Wii U until the first big price cut, so I didn't know from experience that this is par for the course with the Big N. 

Edited February 8, 2017 by MosesRockefeller

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

Man are those "news" sites annoying... Constantly rehashing news, drowning out the actual news... Last week it was "three more games announced for Switch" while they were talking about the games from the Tomorrow Corporation, which were announced a whole week earlier, and this week it's all about "Switch doesn't come with a browser" which we knew because Netflix, browsers and everything else was dismissed at the same time, and "Nintendo addresses lack of backwards compatibility" now that a little something has been said in the Times interview - thanks, dipshits, we were all still assuming that a cartridge based console would be able to play the discs from the last three consoles. I guess next week we can talk about the battery life, and the week after about the pro controller.

 

 

7 hours ago, MosesRockefeller said:

I don't need to save every second, but at least let me save at the end of a large dungeon like the last one in Zelda 1 (which has multiple bosses). That's just artificially frustrating. My nostalgia for the NES (and I suppose SNES) era is limited though, I realize there are a lot of great games but I have no need to suffer through the artificially hard games of the era (which is a lot of them). I already played most of them when I was a kid and I have too many games to play now (once again, my backlog is large and fearsome) to deal with time-extending/wasting gameplay mechanics. 

 

On the subject of Ocarina of Time, my initial attempt at the game was stopped by something similar to Zelda 1. From what I could see, even the 3DS version doesn't allow you to save where you suspend the game for the day (unless you leave the game running, which isn't always feasible), save loading always sticks you back at your room, making you trudge back to wherever you were at the last session. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I noticed and without fast travel that I could see, that's a pretty silly limitation for a handheld game (I know the N64 version isn't, but the 3DS version is supposed to be). Actually, now that I think about it, the Wii VC version should allow you to resume where you left off, and the Wii U VC version should have save states. Hmm...

 

Mèh. I think faithful emulation trumps ease of leaving where you left off. A Link To The Past always made you restart at your house, the start of the dungeon, the piramid, or the sanctuary. Super Star Wars and other old games never had saves at all but needed you to play through the game in one go. I don't mind, it's how the games used to be played.

 

Quote

Also, my visit to Target tonight was a waste, as I suspected. I asked the "Tech" employee about pre-ordering the Switch, and she said it was online only. And the website shows "Coming Soon", which is what most of the other retailers say for "preorders sold out". I'm not sure if it's actually true or if the employee was just lazy or ignorant of the preorder process. 
 

At this rate my unsuccessful attempts to get a Switch are approaching "comedy of errors" levels. I should start a thread called "How Not to Get a Nintendo Console at Launch - Switch Edition". I didn't get the Wii U until the first big price cut, so I didn't know from experience that this is par for the course with the Big N. 

 

I feel like it's weird how people keep saying it's normal with Nintendo, while it's normal with the launch of almost every console. PS4 wasn't steadily available over here until a whole year had passed! A lot of consoles will not be available for the non-ordering public until half a year or so in.

Edited February 8, 2017 by BillyHorrible

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

Heads up Switch players, I decided to create an event for Switch gamers to get us to play games and share experiences. Personally, I really like this PSNP forum setup and it's a shame that there isn't a big forum community like this for Nintendo... So we'll find each other here

https://forum.psnprofiles.com/topic/45332-switch-it-up-event-for-nintendo-switch-gamers/

 

 

[Neputyunu]

1 hour ago, BillyHorrible said:

Man are those "news" sites annoying... Constantly rehashing news, drowning out the actual news... Last week it was "three more games announced for Switch" while they were talking about the games from the Tomorrow Corporation, which were announced a whole week earlier, and this week it's all about "Switch doesn't come with a browser" which we knew because Netflix, browsers and everything else was dismissed at the same time, and "Nintendo addresses lack of backwards compatibility" now that a little something has been said in the Times interview - thanks, dipshits, we were all still assuming that a cartridge based console would be able to play the discs from the last three consoles. I guess next week we can talk about the battery life, and the week after about the pro controller.

 

Yeah. Media these days... And many of them are writing about every crap rumor, just in case, to can say "You heard it first from us!" WHEN it turns out true...

Oh, and, be sure to like and subscribe! There will be a sextape after we hit 5.000.000 Subs! *makes a giveaway about a 10€ Amazon Giftcard, for subs only, to artificially create even more attention* Who needs quality content anyway?

 

8 hours ago, MosesRockefeller said:

I didn't get the Wii U until the first big price cut

 

There was a price cut?

 

I don't know... I think, it depends on the viewing angle... and timing.

 

http://geizhals.at/?phist=1304533

http://geizhals.at/?phist=1107932

http://geizhals.at/?phist=1412322 <<< Dood! Never give a shroom to a pricetag!

 

But I think there is never a real price cut with Nintendo hardware.

Well, okay, the PearlWhite and the Orange/Black New3DSXLs, that came out recently, are 20€ cheaper than the other New3DSXLs... I wonder if there is a reason for that... Does anyone know something related to that?

 

Here a PS4 and an XBox One for comparison

http://geizhals.at/?phist=911571

http://geizhals.at/?phist=1114008

THIS is a pricecut.  

Edited February 8, 2017 by Neputyunu

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

8 minutes ago, Neputyunu said:

There was a price cut?

 

I don't know... I think, it depends on the viewing angle... and timing.

 

http://geizhals.at/?phist=1304533

http://geizhals.at/?phist=1107932

http://geizhals.at/?phist=1412322 <<< Dood! Never give a shroom to a pricetag!

 

But I think there is never a real price cut with Nintendo hardware.

Well, okay, the PearlWhite and the Orange/Black New3DSXLs, that came out recently, are 20€ cheaper than the other New3DSXLs... I wonder if there is a reason for that... Does anyone know something related to that?

 

Here a PS4 and an XBox One for comparison

http://geizhals.at/?phist=911571

http://geizhals.at/?phist=1114008

THIS is a pricecut.  

 

3DS dropped to $170 from $250 in its first year. The anger that followed made Nintendo give the early adopters "ambassador" status, giving them ten GBA games for free (that to this day have not been made available for others, some believe these events are the reason the 3DS never got any GBA titles on the Virtual Console).

Edited February 8, 2017 by BillyHorrible

[Neputyunu]

12 minutes ago, BillyHorrible said:

3DS dropped to $170 from $250 in its first year. The anger that followed made Nintendo give the early adopters "ambassador" status, giving them ten GBA games for free (that to this day have not been made available for others, some believe these events are the reason the 3DS never got any GBA titles on the Virtual Console).

 

...

Oh, he's right...

Unbelieveable! http://geizhals.eu/?phist=540584

But it's 1 year.

So far I saw Nintendo as the Apple of the console world.  

Edited February 8, 2017 by Neputyunu

[MosesRockefeller]

2 hours ago, Neputyunu said:

There was a price cut?

 

I don't know... I think, it depends on the viewing angle... and timing.

 

http://geizhals.at/?phist=1304533

http://geizhals.at/?phist=1107932

http://geizhals.at/?phist=1412322 <<< Dood! Never give a shroom to a pricetag!

 

But I think there is never a real price cut with Nintendo hardware.

Well, okay, the PearlWhite and the Orange/Black New3DSXLs, that came out recently, are 20€ cheaper than the other New3DSXLs... I wonder if there is a reason for that... Does anyone know something related to that?

 

Here a PS4 and an XBox One for comparison

http://geizhals.at/?phist=911571

http://geizhals.at/?phist=1114008

THIS is a pricecut.  

Yes, Nintendo dropped the WIi U price $50 in the USA less than a year after release, which is when I got it. My edition even came with New Super Mario Bros Wii U on top of NintendoLand, so it was a great deal for $300. 

 

http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/28/4667828/wii-u-price-drop

4 hours ago, BillyHorrible said:

Mèh. I think faithful emulation trumps ease of leaving where you left off. A Link To The Past always made you restart at your house, the start of the dungeon, the piramid, or the sanctuary. Super Star Wars and other old games never had saves at all but needed you to play through the game in one go. I don't mind, it's how the games used to be played.

 

 

I feel like it's weird how people keep saying it's normal with Nintendo, while it's normal with the launch of almost every console. PS4 wasn't steadily available over here until a whole year had passed! A lot of consoles will not be available for the non-ordering public until half a year or so in.

It depends on what your priorities are. I don't give a flying crap about hardcore "faithful" emulation if it means having to deal with early generation console constraints (e.g. NES games generally not having saves), but obviously others like yourself do. In my opinion those things are best left as relics of the past. Even Nintendo backed off from their hardline stance by adding save states to the VC with 3DS and Wii U (granted it's only a single save state, but it's still a save you can repeatedly go back to). In my mind there's no such thing as true faithful emulation anyway, because you're going to have a different controller, different screen, etc (there have been recent articles about the Wii U emulator having incorrect color shades, which again, I don't care about because it looks close enough). Why not add convenience on top of it? I'll grant that save states arguably diminish the experience, but I should at least have the ability to stop playing for the day and resume where I left off the next time I play. That in no way diminishes the experience. It's not realistic for gamers with kids (especially once they're older and have after-school events, which is not the case for me yet but will be in a few years) to have marathon gaming sessions. 

 

In any case, as I said before the Wii VC does what I'm talking about above. I guess I was just annoyed that the 3DS version of Ocarina (not an emulated title, but a ported one) didn't include that feature. Zelda 1 also let me suspend on Wii where I played it, but the problem there was the final dungeon being too much of an exercise in frustration for my tastes. I got tired of replaying it and fighting the same multiple bosses over and over, hoping I'd finally get through the "gauntlet". That's not fun for me at my point in life, it's just frustrating. Eh, it's not a big deal, I'll play it again once it's on the Switch VC, doubtless with save states.

 

 

As for the launch availability complaints, I think it's a combination of things. Most analysts and a lot of gamers think this is Nintendo's "make or break" moment and that they really need to succeed with the Switch where the Wii U failed. Whether it's completely fair or not, they are being held to a higher standard because of that belief that they really need to go all out. I think those people expect Nintendo to have a lot of extra consoles available at launch to help close the gap. In my case I certainly expected Nintendo to take preorders for a longer period of time. What many people are seeing is a lot of the same promises that they made with the Wii U. Honestly I can't predict which way it will go. I'm interested in it because I like the concept, and I enjoy Nintendo first-party games. The other stuff is just a bonus. I'd love to see them succeed and not make another Wii U but I'm certainly not betting on it. 

 

In addition to that, there are reports that Nintendo knowingly undersupplies its hardware and software. I know in the past, relatively new games that had limited runs and went out of print became minor collector's items because of their rarity (e.g. the Metroid Prime Trilogy and Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii, where Gamestop got a bunch of copies and sold them for a large markup above retail price). They've gotten a lot of flak for the NES Classic launch, since they vastly underestimated demand and didn't really address that issue. I'm almost positive that GameStop put people's names on a list for the PS4 once preorders were gone, it's like they have a different policy for Nintendo stuff. 

 

It's just frustrating. As a Nintendo fan who really liked the Wii U but knew its shortcomings, it's frustrating for me to see them not come out really swinging with the Switch launch. I'm still excited about it because of the first-party games though, and obviously I'm still trying to get one at launch.

[Zanreo]

20 minutes ago, MosesRockefeller said:

It depends on what your priorities are. I don't give a flying crap about hardcore "faithful" emulation if it means having to deal with early generation console constraints (e.g. NES games generally not having saves), but obviously others like yourself do. In my opinion those things are best left as relics of the past. Even Nintendo backed off from their hardline stance by adding save states to the VC with 3DS and Wii U (granted it's only a single save state, but it's still a save you can repeatedly go back to). In my mind there's no such thing as true faithful emulation anyway, because you're going to have a different controller, different screen, etc (there have been recent articles about the Wii U emulator having incorrect color shades, which again, I don't care about because it looks close enough). Why not add convenience on top of it? I'll grant that save states arguably diminish the experience, but I should at least have the ability to stop playing for the day and resume where I left off the next time I play. That in no way diminishes the experience

Indeed, and I suspect a lot of early console games not having proper save states were partially from the limitations of the platform and partially (after saves became available at least) a holdover from arcade design they didn't even think much about at that point, rather than a specific choice of "we want you to have to start this game all over again when you die". I fully admit to savescumming the hell out of certain old titles... Probably also helps that I don't really have the "nostalgia" of playing the old way (my first console was GBA and I didn't get a home console before the Wii).

3 hours ago, BillyHorrible said:

The anger that followed made Nintendo give the early adopters "ambassador" status, giving them ten GBA games for free (that to this day have not been made available for others, some believe these events are the reason the 3DS never got any GBA titles on the Virtual Console).

Actually they did get released in the eShop years later (at least some of them).. and I remember some ambassadors getting pissed about that. "Why can OTHERS buy them now, those should be exclusive to US?" Jeez... I'm an ambassador too but I'm just happy others are getting them too now, at least we got them all for free.

Edited February 8, 2017 by Zanreo

[Eyjabria]

3 hours ago, Neputyunu said:

So far I saw Nintendo as the Apple of the console world.  

 

Overpriced and overrated? 

[MosesRockefeller]

31 minutes ago, Zanreo said:

Indeed, and I suspect a lot of early console games not having proper save states were partially from the limitations of the platform and partially (after saves became available at least) a holdover from arcade design they didn't even think much about at that point, rather than a specific choice of "we want you to have to start this game all over again when you die". I fully admit to savescumming the hell out of certain old titles... Probably also helps that I don't really have the "nostalgia" of playing the old way (my first console was GBA and I didn't get a home console before the Wii).

At least I'm not the only one.

I would not ask my worst enemy to play through Battletoads without abusing save states. 

 

31 minutes ago, Zanreo said:

Actually they did get released in the eShop years later (at least some of them).. and I remember some ambassadors getting pissed about that. "Why can OTHERS buy them now, those should be exclusive to US?" Jeez... I'm an ambassador too but I'm just happy others are getting them too now, at least we got them all for free.

According to Wikipedia, none of the GBA games were ever released on 3DS (and I've never seen them on my 3DS eStore, which I check every Thursday or Friday for updates). I think the NES ones were eventually released to everyone though. Anyway, from what I heard (I'm not an ambassador), the free ambassador games were not full-fledged VC games but something in between the features of Wii VC and 3DS VC (for example, they don't have save states). 

 

I went ahead and ordered Breath of the Wild (regular edition) and a Switch carrying case from Best Buy, for the unlikely event that I get my hands on a Switch at launch. If not, I can always cancel or return my order.