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The system itself was a huge surprise. It felt like a premium device coming from the WiiU and 3DS. The display was vibrant and crisp and the volume output was actually audible! A slick, sensible OS made me realise they had learned from the WiiU OS. BoTW and Super Mario Odyssey: Once again proving that “backs against the wall Nintendo” is still incredible. When they bring their A-game, they remain peerless. Both games proved that Nintendo still have the magic that has existed since Mario and Link’s first outings. Surprising, delightful and with so much polish you’d think Nintendo had hired Mr. Sheen himself; (or they had been finished for a while!) both games were astounding. For me they also came at a time when I felt the world needed more colour, imagination and fun! What a year for Nintendo fans. And that’s without mentioning the pure bliss that was the SNES Mini with Star Fox 2.

I watched one scene when Dcubed's bro got to it and the game completely crapped out and played no voices what-so-ever. Music and visuals were still going, but no speaking. Which just made me want to play Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword again. So I'm gonna go with no. In fact, that would technically make it worse.

It's glorious! *cries tears of joy*

So, the Bayonetta 1 + 2 amiibo support got some details. And there appears to be a stealth announcement in there. Top row, far right. Either that, or @S.C.G has already claimed it all for himself.

Yeah, servers are a bit rough at the moment. I couldn't find a game to join but once I hosted one myself it filled up pretty much instantly. That's probably the best route to take if you want to play multiplayer. I just finished a quest and carved a plate. I'd better have that kinda luck in the main game. I was fighting the expert monster earlier and Rathlos swooped in out of nowhere and started clawing it and unleashing fireballs left and right. It was an absolute chaos and I was loving it.

So cool to see some of the people involved with this game get so passionate about it. First that Owain/Narcian support from their voice actor, and now Dorcas' artist campaigning for him. Good thing, too, I like his style, and I hope he gets to do more characters. Of course, that image of Dorcas in a modern suit is amazing. EDIT: Holy shit, seeing the comment thread for that tweet, not only do I see he drew Athos for the card game, but he also just drew this... ...Orcas

Well you had to learn sooner or later 😛

While the idea of playing console games on a handheld screen has been done before with Wii U’s Off TV Play, it’s the versitility of the Switch that really feels magical to me. From playing Shmups in tabletop mode, with my Switch turned sideways, with an arcade stick or Joy-con; I can then switch straight to playing Doom on my TV with docked Joy-cons or a Pro Controller. Then I can take that game outside and carry on playing it in handheld mode on the train into work. I can then go see my friend after work and play Super Bomberman R, Pokken or Mario Kart 8 by handing him a Joy-con and off we go. The variety of experiences it offers and the variety of ways to play is what really makes it special. Being able to use multiple Switches for games like Pokken and Pacman VS is also really great and speaks volumes to the console’s sheer versatility! (If only it had Download Play support and an official capacitive stylus though...). And it does it all so seamlessly! Unlike the Wii U, Switch is a fast and elegant machine that can easily be taken anywhere and maintain full functionality. It’s the kind of machine you just want to play everything on (come on VC!)

It exists. Not awful but nothing particularly interesting about it either. I didn't really keep track - perhaps about 6-8 or so, but there's a lot of time spent moving around and looking for stuff on the map.

Yeah Bravely Default was an utterly generic experience, even if the battle system was quite finely tuned. I remember playing it in utter disbelief how far narrative standards and level design had fallen in the 10 or so years since Final Fantasy IX. I would love if PS1 era FF-style RPGs returned to Switch in true form.

I hate pets so that kinda thing doesn't bother me.

Did the first 2 quests solo and then jumped online (eventually) for the 3rd. Yeah, matchmaking is pretty terrible at the moment but probably not indicative of the final release. Anyway, the game looks great (the Palicos are so cute in HD ) but frame rate can take a major hit at times. Saw some serious slowdown when doing the 3rd quest online and a Rathalos decided to crash the party. There seems to be quite a few tweaks and new additions to the gameplay this time (most of which just confused me) but otherwise it plays more or less how I’d expect. I went with the good old hammer and was right at home within a few minutes. I like how it recognises your performance online now and displays certain achievements at the end of a game, been wanting to see something like that in MH for a while. Would have preferred a full on stat display showing exactly how each player performed, with stuff like damage percentages etc... but this is better than nothing. No PS+ for me next year though, so even if I do end up getting this it’d be a single player experience. So yeah, going to have to wait and see what the verdict is for it in that regard before making a decision.

They can't show too much gameplay due to the genre. If they kept showing different scenarios then people would complain that certain story aspects would be spoilt.

I don't really have any personal, unique moments to share but my favourite moment of the year was probably the final sequence of Super Mario Odyssey. Never before have I felt so much unbridled joy, every aspect of it was so perfectly weighted and that final cutscene capped it brilliantly. With the console itself I didn't really experience the hybrid aspects of it until Mario Kart came out (I played Zelda almost exclusively on my TV with the pro controller) and it's only really with Mario and Skyrim that i've been taking full advantage of the dual nature of the Switch. This year has been spectacular, and I can't wait to see what there is in store for 2018.

That's absolutely getting bundled with Super Mario Maker for Switch

You make it sound like there's something wrong with that. ...I mean, sure, Priscilla's love towards her brother is... rather unhealthy for a number of reasons, but I wouldn't say that the incest is one of them, really. (Then again, I wouldn't say that, now would I... still picking blue on all my free summons in the hopes of eventually getting an Ephraim to pair up with my Eirika, ahaha...) Anyways... Priscilla lost, as expected, so I switched over to Team Dorcas! Was hovering between him and Sigurd for a while, but then I saw this masterpiece by Dorcas's (and Arden's) illustrator: FOR NATALIE!

And that’s all red rings, number rings and silver rings obtained. Wow. Some of them silver ones were hard as nails. Retry central. But very rewarding. Now to mop up on the misc achievements and the ring collector. That one is just unnecessary. 100,000 rings is tough as it only holds 100 at a time unless you change the game difficulty to hard. Then the counter goes above that. There is a stage you can play to get 900 in 90 seconds so can see me having to spam that to get the full list. Still I’ve loved this so much I’m happy to keep playing. Would love some more DLC.

So, I watched the thing, and it wasn't too bad. I like how they gave time to the Student Game and Debut Indie awards to celebrate newcomers of the industry, as well as the "Lifetime Achievement" award, as it really drives home the fact that this show is just trying to celebrate all good things in gaming. Felt more like a true passion project than an empty ceremony. And it was heartwarming to see Eiji Aonuma getting so emotional. As entertaining as Josef Fares' rant was, it was also pretty darn embarrassing. I mean, we were laughing at him, not with him, and considering he was making jabs at EA, that's quite something. There's a time and a place for everything, and his stunt soured what was otherwise a classy show. My main complaint with the organization of the show itself is the same as Ronnie's: I get that they only had so many sponsors, but to skip half of the show's main objective seems very counterproductive. Announce the awards in quick succession if you must, because ignoring them entirely drives home the fact that the awards program doesn't give a shit about handhelds, fighting games, sports, and whatever else was ignored.

My main feeling after seeing that trailer was "what the hell have I just watched?" God bless Kojima, I may not understand all of his work but the man's a visionary and great to see his ambition is being let off the leash now he's running the show!

We can't delete this thread I'm so proud of it hahaha. Also represents a historic moment in my life, the girlfriend I was playing drunken monopoly with is now my wife!

Fuck this game is just too long. Not that it is dragging at all, every second is amazing, but I thought if I put a concentrated effort in, I might be able to finish it in time for Christmas when I'll be getting a couple of new games. Just finishing up the last few story lines in Novigrad it seems (about to do these final Dandelion and Triss ones I think), and the consensus is that I'm not even halfway!

I can't wait to get stuck into the DLC. More of the same is great for me! So glad to see that the game won GOTY award. So much deserved! Fantastic game.

Just a personal viewpoint, but I really feel RPGs have taken a turn for the bland in recent years. I think it started when the "AAA" J-RPGs, like Xenoblade Chronicles (although I suppose you could trace it back to Final Fantasy XII), started to mimic real-time Western RPGs, leaving the traditional RPGs to imitate the classic Final Fantasy style (I'm thinking Bravely Default onwards). They're not terrible, but can be a bit unremarkable. It's a bit of a shame as I'd prefer J-RPGs to go back to the Dragon Quest VIII style - big (but not too big), colourful and somewhat daring.

Gungeon arrives this month.

I bought and never played them on the wii u, so there’s no way I’m buying them and not playing them again on the switch. *jump cut to feb and I excitedly take them out and put them on my switch shelf next to the still sealed copy of doom and la noire*

I kinda like him. Reminds me of the drunken thread.

OK, I got a good laugh out of this.

I’d like to see a new Wave Race and F-Zero as it has been far too long since there was a new game in either franchise, but most importantly I want to know what Retro have been working on... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's a small thing, but I love how quick it is to wake > play. I'll pick up the Pro Controller, press the home button, sit down on my sofa, the tv will have switched on by itself and I'll be in a game, with zero lag or stutter, in seconds.

Mega Man Legacy Collection As an incredible coincidence, I completed this game 100% a day after Megaman 11 got announced. I didn't even know it was the Blue Bomber's 30 year anniversary before then. In a nutshell, this is a collection of the NES Mega Man games, plus a few dozen challenges (gauntlets with the trickiest bosses and level segments throughout the NES era), plus sound tests, plus a lot of artwork from this era (conceptual artwork, adverts, boxarts, etc.). I (re)played every single game here, and got Gold on every challenge. This collection allows for save states, and my opinion on them is mixed. I do not like to use save states on games that were never meant to have them, and as such, I only saved when the Password screen popped up (because those were the only "save points" these games were meant to have)... but I have to admit, Mega Man 1 (which lacked a password system) is just hell to play in a single sitting, so they were quite welcome there. I stuck to saving between stages, though. Anyway, just a brief rundown of each game Mega Man 1: Brutally difficult, to the point of unfairness. It feels more like a gauntlet than any of the challenges. Still, the robot masters are among the most memorable, and the weapons are all useful and fun. Mega Man 2: My favourite in the series, every problem from the previous game was addressed. The robot masters are all fun, the weapons are all useful (except Heat Man's), the music is awesome, and I honestly feel it aged gracefully. Mega Man 3: I always thought this entry was overrated. Megaman feels heavier, the menu is ugly and confusing to navigate, the robot masters are nothing special (Needle Man might just be the worst RM in the series), it's got some of the shittiest weapons in the franchise, and the Doc Man intermissions are an unacceptable spike in difficulty. Still, Rush and the slide work well, and the music is good. Mega Man 4: Not a bad game, and in most aspects is certainly better than 3, but between the high-pitched sound, the rough Mega Buster, and the alternate paths that don't have anything on them, it feels a tad rushed. Mega Man 5: This one's so bland, It's like they threw a bunch of cool ideas they didn't actually like into this entry. I say this, because this game has a ton of ideas with no passion or effort behind them. The Jet Ski segment mindlessly throws enemies at you with no care for their placement, the more original weapons are sloppily implemented (for example, they give you a Charge Kick, but nothing to kick), and even the plot, which could allow for a couple of cool boss fights, is ignored. Everything in this game is about presenting stuff with potential, and then squandering it. I'm assuming this is what Mighty No.9 feels like. Mega Man 6: This one was surprisingly improved. Useful weapons, cool-looking robot masters, level design that actually takes advantage of the new Rush adaptors, and several alternate paths with substantial content to provide replay value. This is also the best implementation of the Mega Buster. This entry's often ignored, but is among my favourites. 2 > 6 > 4 > 3 > 1 > 5 Playing all of these games in a row was interesting. The small adjustments made to Megaman's movement, how incremental these changes were, and how, instead of patching stuff, they'd just improve a new gameplay aspect over the course of 3 games. (Also, a small pet peeve: what's with these games giving you items when they could be weapons? Why have a "Super Arrow" or a "Wire" as random items, instead of an "Arrow Man" or a "Wire Man" to give them? I understand when they're non-combat, but these absolutely cause damage. And they're more prominently advertised than any of the robot masters! What's up with that?) The Challenges are fun, though since they work a lot like speedruns, the same sort of frustrations from that playstyle might pop up. Still, nothing's more satisfying than beating the "No items" challenges and realizing you're a Mega Man Master. Anyway, as fun as revisiting the NES games was, I must say: the Game Boy games were way better! When are we getting a collection with those, huh?

Anyone seen the rocket-surfing phenomenon? Rating: Lit http://uk.ign.com/videos/2017/11/06/fortnite-battle-royale-player-shows-off-rocket-surfing-trick