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Recently, I have been reading more and more requests for the Virtual Console to be on the Switch but has the absence of the service been a big miss for the Switch eShop? This is a question I have been asking myself over the past few weeks. After thinking about it I think the answer is not only no but also that the eShop and many developers/publishers have benefitted by the absence of the Virtual Console on the Nintendo hybrid system. Inti Systems have shown great support for their games with free DLC The Virtual Console launched back during the Wii era and was a great way for fans to buy digital versions of the games they used to play in their childhood. It was also a good way for new fans to play the games that inspired the ones that they play today. I think a lot of people would agree that the Wii era of the virtual console was when the service was at its peak, due to the range of consoles that the service offered. Fast forward a generation and the virtual console returned on both the Wii U and 3DS. While the 3DS got some offerings from Sega, the Wii U VC was left wanting and as such the lineup was severely lacking. There was also the issue of players having to wait months for games they wanted, as Nintendo continued to drip feed the games to its fanbase. While the VC in this generation did offer new features like save states, the lack of support from 3rd parties and the rate at which games were being released really killed off any excitement. When the Switch was confirmed to be a hybrid myself and others were thinking of the possibilities of finally having a Nintendo machine that could play all of the classic games at home and on the go. The games on the service would look fantastic on the Switch’s screen and having a library of games to play wherever you went would be a dream come true. Sadly, this has yet to happen but is this a bad thing? It was Kamiko, not BOTW, that pushed me to buy a Switch Whether the no show of the virtual console on Switch has been by design, problems with getting the system up and running on the Switch or even Nintendo just simply not wanting to do this kind of thing anymore, the fact is that this has been a blessing in disguise for the smaller developers/publishers that have put their games on the Switch. You look at the sales of some of the eShop games on the Switch and you can see a trend happening with the developers/publishers who are putting the time and effort into the service. We are starting to hear more and more success stories from these developers. Just yesterday we heard from the developers of Wonder Boy (Lizard Cube) saying how the Switch version of the game sold more copies on Nintendo’s console than the 3 other platforms combined. Mixed Bag Games, who developed Forma.8, quickly followed up also stating that the Switch version of the game had been the most successful. Today we heard from the developers of Oceanhorn telling a similar story, that the Switch version of their game has seen the most success. This isn’t a new trend either. Earlier in the year we heard from Skipmore and they were also pleased with the sales of Kamiko, saying that the game sold over 110k worldwide. A similar story was posted by Inti Creates who have been happy with the performance of both Blaster Master Zero and Mighty Gunvolt Burst. Hamster Corporation has also found success on the platform, with many of their Neo Geo games selling very well on the Switch. The common theme is that small developers and publishers are seeing the Switch as a great platform for their games. Graceful Explosion Machine is a great game that launched soon after the Switch had hit the market So, what does this have to do with the Virtual Console? A couple of points come to mind. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, especially when it comes to Nintendo products. I know myself that Nintendo has a strong pull on me and I’m sure it’s the same for others, as well. The Virtual Console is nostalgia in digital form. It can send you back to your childhood and remind you of a better and simpler time. When it comes to making a choice between a game that you've never played or one that you have fond memories of, it is easier to select something that is safe and you know you’ll enjoy, despite playing it a thousand times over. Secondly, in my experience many Nintendo only gamers just stick to what they know. This is backed up by 3rd parties in past generations talking about how Nintendo only gamers tend to just buy Nintendo games and this is one of the reasons why the big AAA 3rd parties haven’t bothered with Nintendo consoles in the past. Nintendo games are kind of like a safety net or a comfort blanket for a lot gamers. Of course, it’s not always as cut and dry as that. Not everyone can buy every game that they want and certain people have to be selective with both their money and how they spend their time. It’s easy to see why people would gravitate more to what is familiar. Also, Nintendo are well known for the amount of polish that they bring to the table when it comes to making their games and this was true even back during the early days. When time and money are limited, again, it’s easy to see why people would choose the safe, but very polished, option of a Nintendo game . Craving a Mega Man game? Why wait for the VC when you can play Mighty Gunvolt Burst With the Virtual Console not being on the Switch, many Nintendo gamers are trying out these alternative games. These are games that I imagine many would not have tried if something like Super Metroid or Link to the Past had been available to buy, but because these games aren’t available yet, smaller developers/publishers are having their chance to shine and are making a name for themselves. Many have compared the Switch to the Vita and I think it’s a very good comparison to make. The Vita struggled to get any big support from 3rd parties or even Sony themselves. This left the door open for many indie developers to push their games on the platform and carve a niche audience out for themselves. The same is happening on the Switch. Without the Virtual Console games hogging the spotlight and taking the money away from the fanbase, the indies are thriving on Nintendo’s hybrid. Conclusion I’m not here to say that the Virtual Console is a bad thing, nor will I be upset once the service finally arrives on the Switch. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the classic games of my childhood on my Switch screen. What I will say is that there are over 100 titles on the eShop at the moment, with more on the way, and a lot of them are highly rated and amazing games. Instead of wishing what was on the Switch, take a look around a see what is already on offer. The Virtual Console service will come but in the meantime there are a host of quality titles waiting to be played. Instead of pining after games that you have already played, take a chance on something new and create some new memories.

N-Europe Review The N-E review written by yours truly is now up! I really enjoyed it, and am happy to answer any questions you may have! Thanks to @S.C.G for uploading it as I'm busy with work today!

I can't be the only one who thought "Did he really call the thread 'H-O-T Topic'? That aside, it's a very well thought out mini-article. There's some solid logic here. Of course, until Virtual Console does come out, there's no way to be certain it has an effect. However, while I feel the lack of VC has some kind of effect. I don't think it's quite as big as some might think. I think the biggest factor so far is the actual quality of non-Ninty games on eShop so far. It's been a hell of a lot better than some of the utter dreck that Wii, WiiU and 3DS got. Of course, early days, but Nintendo being quite selective with who they wanted to get games from has done wonders for the standard of the average eShop game. Also, put me down as one of those who enjoyed an eShop game more than Zelda, namely Wonder Boy, who anyone who actually wants VC should play.

http://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic/interview-f-zero/ Interview for F-Zero is out in English now (Super Metroid is next!)

Some good points made here, though the eShop has not been entirely free of retro gaming. Hamster's ACA releases have really helped to fill the gap left by the VC and they've done very well for themselves (and most of these games are familiar to fans of the Wii VC too). Despite that though, I'm not sure if it's the biggest factor in the early success with independent developers on the eShop... ... Glen-i hits the nail on the head for me. The sheer quality of the Switch's early eShop releases is head and shoulders above what we saw on the Wii U (let alone the pathetic early offerings on 3DS and the non-existent Wii Ware lineup during Wii's first year). Nintendo's early curation worked wonders really and independent developers brought their A-game to the table right away. You also have to factor in just how successful the Switch has been, right out of the gate as well. 3DS struggled at first (and Nintendo struggled to even get the eShop up and running at all!) while Wii U was the biggest failure the company has ever put out; the sales success that independent developers have seen on Switch is also a reflection of the success of the hardware itself. I don't doubt that the lack of VC right away has helped independent games gain some breathing room; but I also don't think that they can't co-exist on the platform. Switch is a healthy system and the eShop has already shown itself to be a thriving ecosystem where big budget retail games (Splatoon 2), known brands (Sonic Mania, Shovel Knight, Overcooked, Minecraft), quality new IPs (Snipperclips, Thumper) and retro re-releases/remakes (Wonderboy: The Dragon's Trap, Hamster's ACA series, Namco Museum) can all co-exist and all do well for themselves. While Nintendo arguably don't need the VC right now, their software schedule is going to slow down real fast real soon (unless they knock our socks off tomorrow!) and next year will likely be a different story. There is a clear hunger for retro games on Switch. Even ignoring the success of retro games already on there, the VC is probably the most requested thing right now for Switch (and the fever for retro gaming is at an all time high, especially with the NES/SNES mini). Having it hit Q2 next year would be a good move I feel; giving the SNES mini time to shine and fizzle out and right in time to fill the gaps in Nintendo's software schedule.

What a really interesting read, nice work HoT! Funny I'd never really thought of it that way either, perhaps Nintendo have done this on purpose two fold; to encourage Indie developers more, and to increase sales of their mini retro consoles. Either way, as much as I love the classic titles I'd much rather see the console bring in new developers and customers than just the same old same old; it didn't work for the Wii U so it's great to see them changing tack with the Switch.

Haha. I posted that just for you....and maybe @S.C.G

Hold that thought at least until tomorrow night at 11PM UK time... we might get a release date by then or soon after.

First reviews are in! Nintendo Everything – Thumbs UpIGN – 8.5 / 10GameSpot – 9 / 10GamesBeat – 90 / 100GameXplain – LovedNintendo World Report – 9.5 / 10Nintendo Life – 10 / 10Kotaku – N/ADestructoid – 8 / 10Easy Allies – 4.5 / 5USgamer – 5 / 5Polygon – 9 / 10GameReactor – 8 / 10

Yeah, like this one: I really wouldn't min having one of those as my office keyboard. The rest of my colleagues would go nuts though...

cant see why a taxi wouldn't transport you and a cat secured in a carrier...... I had fun with all 3 of mine in my car this week. Clementine managed to get out and decided it would be a good idea to sit on my dashboard in front of my view of the road... lol this was her on the way back:

I'm not sure. Final Fantasy games have been big milestones for my platinums ( think FFX was 100 and FFXV was 150 ) but I'm not currently playing one so it will have to be another game. I could stick with the S-E theme and do Kingdom Hearts or Nier. Nah, I think that was 190 or something.

Well you guys wanted a dark scheme 😋 I did switch after and done a bit of browsing on my phone and can see some of the text colours need tweaking too. I'll try and dedicate some time tomorrow night, if not Thursday morning as I'm off work.

Missed this: I've never played those kind of games. Doesn't look bad, so far. Edit: Release date seems to be 27-10-2017. Edit: I'm looking at the list of Nintendo Switch games to check if there are any titles I'm unaware of.. This is a recent (April this year) indie game also coming to Switch, and sounds fantastic: I'm getting that. This one also looks interesting, though I'm not sure if it's interesting enough among all the other interesting games coming out.

Probably some 90p slide puzzle game

That's me buying it yet again

Not long to go. https://streamable.com/tvwx7 The main title theme is great.

Obviously an overreaction, I'm sure I'll still watch it but won't be expecting much. I'm just not a fan of Abrahms as a director, he should stick to producing and let some more interesting and creative directors take the helm. If he casts Greg Grunberg again though I will be picketing outside the cinema to discourage people from watching it.

Okami HD confirmed for PS4, XOne and PC. Comes out 12 December.

I have it on PS4 so I'll leave that open to @The Bard - unless he doesn't want it - thanks for the offer though!

re: Achievements, it's not really enough to just copy trophies from PS4, if Nintendo do implement them I'd like them to have a tangible purpose rather than just a series of tick boxes. I'd like to see them tied to a Badge Arcade style thing where getting an achievement gives you a sticker you can then place on your Switch home screen to decorate it. Another idea would be to have them tied to a Streetpass puzzle piece kind of thing where each one gives you a part of a large (animated?) image. Or as above suggested, simply tied to MyNintendo points.

I'd rather the VC than what's on offer on the e-Shop... but it's a very good point @Hero-of-Time

Taxis can be funny with pets, some of them here don't take dogs so I'm not sure how they feel about cats. Plus the local taxi service charges a small fortune! But I managed to book a spot with a local pet taxi service, who will drive me there, wait for me to pick up the cats and then drive me back, all for a very low fee. So hopefully on Friday I will finally pick up the kitties! They told me that the kitten is currently driving the mum crazy, so I will have to provide lots of toys to keep him entertained. I spent a small fortune on cat stuff this month, so hopefully that should all be fine. :3 By the way, Clementine looks lovely! And I love that name (thanks to the Telltale Walking Dead games haha).

You were on when we were playing but I figured you were running the Nightfall with Eddage. Sucks about the servers being down when I get in from work. Guess i'll have an extra long session at the gym, seeing as I skipped it yesterday to play more of Destiny. The universe balances things out.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darrenwall/sega-dreamcast-collected-works/description

I've got a 1080, what do you need help with?

I have a 1080 but not sure I know enough about it to help. Also loving the look of that keyboard. Actually I'm getting tempted by those lovely simplistic keyboards you see on /r/mechanicalkeyboards. I have a Corsa K90 but the clack is a bit much and it's quite big.

I only have the 1070, not sure if that helps. What did you have in mind?

Reading that Wonder Boy sold more on Switch than every other platform combined, that's some good going! I imagine it was helped by being early on and without much major competition for new Switch owners at the time, regardless though it should be a great incentive to other Indie Devs that their games can sell on Switch.

New Kickstarter board game arrival.

If you are over 260LL, you are ready to do the raid. The recommended LL is 260 to 280.

Mass Effect Trilogy please

Or the MegaMan Legacy Collection please please please

Just bought this for the Mrs and the little'ns. I'm not much of a Sonic fan but I'll play it on my commute after I'm done with Shovel Knight. The Mrs is buzzing for it though as she loved Sonic as a kid.

They should always be in spoiler tags anyway unless its a specifically named spoiler thread. Not fair on everyone else otherwise.

Tory Jesus is my new favourite thing: