Grazza

The Switch is a true hybrid. But the more I see, the more I think its place in the market is as a console. There will be no more Wii U games, for instance, yet there are still (a few) 3DS games to arrive, and Nintendo has made noises that they might actually continue their dedicated handheld line aside from this.

No, I mean it was clear to me it wouldn't be a great one. I'm talking about seeing screenshots and watching videos. It's not about believing hands-on previews by games journalists. As for the emboldened bit, I don't really know why you would trust gaming journalists over your own instincts.

Out of interest, are any of these "early reviews" saying anything about the Wii U version having any advantages over the Switch? I just have this nagging feeling (possibly because I was insistent on getting the GC version of TP, and this sort of feels like I'm believing the hype of the "Wii", if you get my drift). Maybe Miiverse or button layout etc? I can't argue with that, but in my opinion it was very, very clear Skyward Sword wouldn't be what the reviews said it was, even from previews years before. It had its moments, but as an overall game it was clear the scope wasn't there. I'd also argue that Metro and Eurogamer are of a certain ilk (not meaning any offence here), as well as one other Nintendo site I can think of. If GameSpot and similar multi-format sites are saying it's good, I believe it that much more. Plus, BotW has always looked like it could be the best, as long as the harder-to-predict elements (such as story and atmosphere) are done right.

This strikes such a chord with me (and may hit a nerve with others). I'm not going to take sides in the debate here, but I admire you for having the guts to say it. I've ordered a Switch and I don't really know why - I'm not even the tiniest bit excited for it at the moment. I feel a bit gullible for doing so, but don't feel insulted by your point of view, because I'm well aware it's rather daft of me. On the positive side, I'm looking forward to playing (probably) the best version of Zelda, and I do genuinely want a lot of the 2D indie games. : peace: But hey, who knows? Especially with that embargo. It's probably censored, with the best stuff behind a DLC paywall!

In all seriousness, I don't think it'll be bad, but that's a good point from DazzeL about how you wouldn't be able to cancel your pre-order. It may not be system-selling worthy. Still, I feel I have to find out... It's worth nothing that Skyward Sword reviews were out 7 days before release. I seem to remember a similar situation with older Zeldas, although it's hard to check now. Yes. When a game is actually terrible, the embargo is always release day or afterwards. It is curious though.

The 2nd is a tight embargo for a game out on the 3rd. It might be terrible.

I'm very disappointed with Nintendo. DLC, by its very nature, cannot be a good thing. By definition, it is either a) pure froth or b) something that should have been in the original game. Take DLC Pack 2, for example, with its extra dungeon. Hypothetically, let's say Breath of the Wild has 8 dungeons, or 9 with the DLC. Either 8 or 9 is the correct balance and design for that individual game. It can't be both. It used to be that you'd pay £50 or so for a new Zelda and it was worth every penny, but Nintendo risks losing that reputation. Adding it all up, that's £279.99 (RRP) for the Switch, £59.99 for Breath of the Wild and £17.99 for the DLC. Greedy, Nintendo, greedy.

I honestly loved it at the time. The exception being Metroid Prime, which I couldn't get to grips with until a few years later. But overall the GC felt like the true progression of the N64, with better graphics and controls. What I will say, is that I couldn't predict the direction in which Nintendo would turn. In other words, whilst I did love GC at the time, I didn't realise I wouldn't love the Wii or Wii U.

My list is something like this, although to be honest they don't actually have to be the GameCube versions (ie. I'm happy with the Wii U ones of Zelda): 1. Wind Waker 2. Twilight Princess 3. Skies of Arcadia 4. Metroid Prime 5. Metroid Prime 2 6. F-Zero GX 7. Super Mario Sunshine Both are great games, but Echoes is all the better if you've mastered the first one. Not an easy task, but worth it. I played Baten Kaitos. It appealed at first, but the random nature of not knowing which cards you'd be dealt did spoil it for me. I know others love it. For me, Skies of Arcadia is the best RPG on the GameCube, but you know what? It actually deserves a full HD remaster!

That's true. I stopped expecting every console Zelda to be a 10/10; so much so that I actually wouldn't be disappointed at a bad one any more. This, however, does look great. Every clue we have suggests everything is right about it.

It probably won't, but it looks like its heart's in the right place. BotW will probably be the technical zenith of the series, but whether it actually has the magic of Wind Waker is less certain. I can't see myself being too harsh on it, as long as it plays well.

In the absence of anything concrete, I've had a look at what happened with Skyward Sword. The release dates were as follows: 18 Nov 2011 (JP/EU) 20 Nov 2011 (US) The earliest review I could find was IGN's, which published it on 11 Nov - seven days before the Japanese/European release. Assuming most reviewers are going to give it decent scores (thus it won't fall under the "no review until release day" rule), I predict the first Breath of the Wild reviews will roll in one week before release, which should be 24 February.

Eiji Aonuma is just the coolest:

Out of interest, have you tried VR yet? I actually thought that needed 8K.

That advert is so Wii-like, I'm now convinced Switch will be a huge success. It scores 10/10 on my Grumpy-Old-Git-o-meter.

I've got a 7" Galaxy Tab 4. They're a really nice way to have some gaming, music and light web browsing. Over the past year, I've been playing the Dragon Quests on Android - very enjoyable, and it has given me the chance to play I-III.

Very true. Mario was good, but I think everyone must know what you mean by not "real". No Metroid at all, and no Zelda of its own. Ironically though, Switch won't be much good for 2D platformers as it doesn't have a d-pad! I'm too cautious to do this, but generally I think it's better to keep up-to-date. Unless you're a real retro fan, it's better to keep the past in the past. There are some games that transcend this, but that's why there are remakes. If you're going to do it, I would recommend two things: 1) How many eShop games do you have? Ask yourself how many you'd actually be bothered about if you did lose them. Worst case scenario: would it be a case of just buying a few SNES games again? 2) Insure yourself as much as possibly by having an up-to-date Nintendo Account, not just an NNID; and, as others have said, unlink your NNIDs before you get rid of your consoles.

Maybe I can explain a bit more about why I brought up politics (hopefully without going into the specific politics too much). For many years there has been a sort of consensus that the liberal-left agenda is the only legitimate one - I don't say that to be inflammatory; it's just the best way to describe things - to the extent that we have not been able to solve problems by respectful debate. This, I believe, has led to situations that many consider extreme, such as the Leave vote or Trump's election. Now cut across to Treehouse, sitting there localising games for Nintendo. It's clear many of them are feminist, and have swallowed the line about "objectification" (and that it's a bad thing). They then apply this to the games without any regard as to whether the buying public want it. I guess I'm equating democratic voting to free market economics. We can apply a theoretical test to this. If Nintendo had supplied two versions - censored and uncensored - of Project Zero, Xenoblade Chronicles X and Tokyo Mirage Sessions, I think anyone honest would admit that the uncensored ones would outsell the censored many times over. Now I concede that not enough people feel passionate enough about it to make a difference, but I think what I've said there is true. This is what I mean by spending power (democracy) having no value in this regard. I can't disagree with this. It was quite a weak argument of mine, to be honest, but I don't think we can discount the political pressure applied to Japan in recent years (reflected in the ratings board). As I say, I don't disagree with the violence and cruelty being cut out, but I believe the criteria for costumes has actually changed. Ultimately though, I admit this is Japan's business. Incidentally, PEGI is absolutely fantastic with ratings - I support them wholeheartedly. You've got me there, but I do support things that only feature male nudity (as such). I'm more pointing out the cultural double standard. For years I've been passing adverts for male strippers at the leisure centre, yet we know a female equivalent would never be allowed. I don't agree with your second point, though, about there being much more popular entertainment that objectifies women. I think it's extremely difficult to see anything like that in the mainstream now. In video games, perhaps. But we do see topless male characters in many games, and shouldn't assume no one finds it sexual (it doesn't matter to me whether they do or don't, because I think we should judge things on what they are, not what might be going on in someone's head). Ultimately, artists have always been drawn to the nude, especially the female nude. Even if I was gay, I think I would still love the female nude. To me it's the most natural thing in the world that RPG makers would work towards a skimpy bikini as the sort of "ultimate" costume for a female. I don't play games for titillation, but it annoys me when that's taken off the menu. If you said you played games for violence, that would sound pretty sick in itself, but it's a legitimate part of a game. Developers should have a diverse palette and be able to include dramatic scenes, comedic scenes, erotic scenes... the problem is that the latter is so much more difficult than the others. As for the other point, I personally don't feel it's progress, but we're not going to agree about that. You're right, I do generalise about feminists, and I've been thinking over the past few days whether this is reasonable or not. My conclusion is that whilst I wouldn't generalise about someone's gender, race or sexual orientation, I feel it's somewhat fair to about a political movement. My reasoning is that although I believe the vast majority of feminists are decent men and women, they are ultimately supporting something that, at the top, is extreme. It is my personal belief that ideas like "objectification" have been fed through to the public without any real thought as to what they mean or where it'll lead. The public take it on, believing they are supporting "equality", but ultimately are supporting the world view of a handful of puppet masters. This is another thing we're not going to agree on (and is more like a topic for the General Board), but thanks, dan-likes-trees for being respectful and putting a lot of thought into your arguments. Incidentally, I love trees too.

Yes. They were once a necessity, but I suspect we will not see them now. Nintendo will probably concentrate on the full, 3D Zeldas, with 2D games (not just Zelda) special projects rather than regular instalments they once were.

@dan\-likes\-trees Regarding politics... you're right. Both are perilous situations. I haven't got enough room here to fully explain what I mean, so perhaps shouldn't have brought it up.

Thanks H-o-T, I greatly appreciate that. You know, if you defend this type of thing, people can think the worst, but I feel very strongly about it. This is one thing I won't back down from. Games journalists rallied against Jack Thompson when there was a political move to limit violence in games, but this...? Nothing. I understand that people don't want to make themselves look questionable, but to me it's an important subject. It's good to defend serious games like Bioshock and The Last of Us, but to me, more light-hearted games are just as important because it encompasses fundamental aspects of storytelling, visual art and basic freedom. This political climate is actually making some of my favourite series quite bland.

It was an interesting watch, yes. I'm not totally against censorship, by the way, but am extremely opposed to it when it's politically motivated. Colin was arguing in favour of developers being able to make mature games with serious points without backlash from an immature audience. I agree, but that's only half the story. I am far more bothered by the feminism-led censorship of recent years, particularly when it leads to enforced alterations of outfits, designs and anything visual. Certain people have decided that their world view must be applied to everyone else, regardless of whether it's legal; regardless of whether there's a market for it. Bikinis in Bravely Default, lingerie in Project Zero, poses in Overwatch and Street Fighter V. The list goes on... One of the most insidious things was the boob slider in Xenoblade Chronicles X, because here's the thing... you just know someone didn't want heterosexual males to have that, but would have been OK with women using it "legitimately". That's wrong. That's discrimination. Dead of Alive Xtreme 3 is one of the most shocking examples, because it wasn't released at all. In this day and age, is Sony so controlled by these forces that they won't even let people download it from the PS Store? Dragon Quest on 3DS was toned down in three ways: * An act of cruelty * An act of violence * Several outfits Now the cruelty and violence I can understand, because they wanted a lower rating, but the outfits are someone's politics. In all of these examples there is one common theme - someone has decided the people who don't like it are more important than the people who do. Despite it being legal; despite people willing to pay money for it. I find that quite extraordinary.

I enjoyed reading that, @S\.C\.G., even though my verdict on the games is different (I'm one of the purists you speak of who prefers 2 to 3). To me, Final Fight is one of the true greats, only surpassed by Double Dragon. The latter is the game of my childhood, whereas the former is the game of my early teenage years. Nothing takes me back to the early 1990s like Final Fight. It is the absolute epitome of 16-bit brawlers - the perfect formula of chunky sprites and satisfying gameplay. Neither as slow and measured as the Sega games (eg. Golden Axe), nor as throwaway and licence-dependent as the Konami brawlers. Many will say Streets of Rage 2 surpasses it. Whilst it's extremely impressive what they achieved on the Mega Drive, Final Fight just pips it for me. In recent years, I've played both over and over again - SoR2 on the 3DS and Final Fight One on the Wii U.

The imagery of Mjolnir, Cap's shield and Iron Man's gauntlet all beaten up reminds me of Tony's "premonition" in Age of Ultron, where the Avengers are defeated... looks like this is going to tie-in very heavily, story-wise, with Infinity War/Infinity Gauntlet. Hopefully these are truly great games in their own right.

I didn't expect them to include puzzles that made use of HD rumble - in fact, I'd rather play it as close as possible to how they originally intended, rather than have Wii-inspired tilt puzzles like Twilight Princess - but HD rumble would have added to the immersion. Presumably they could have the sort of things that have been discussed, such as feeling an impact on the right, and it travelling through to the left. I don't actually know what HD rumble can do, and don't intend to buy any game that's likely to make use of it until Super Mario Odyssey. Oh well.