Your Switch moment of 2017

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

Semi inspired by @Ashley looking forward into 2018 with a wishlist, it got me thinking about what are people's "moments" involving the Switch since it launched in March?

I'm deliberately saying "moments" as it doesn't have to be a favourite; I imagine there are people who feel let down etc by the console as much as many of us feel it's been a brilliant launch so far!

It certainly feels, however, that at the moment this forum is in a good place in terms of expressing opinions and not getting shirty about them, after all they are just that, our own opinions, so let's keep it clean! 

I was lucky enough to go to the Switch launch event with Ashley in January and honestly I felt somewhat underwhelmed by; I really wasn't sure if I was going to get one, especially at a hefty £280.

However, I'm glad I did, the console has been a revelation for me and allowed me to continue gaming alot more than just a standard home console could have.

I have two "moments", and both of them are positive. The first one is, on March the 3rd, once my wife and the little one had gone to bed, I plugged my headphones into the undocked console, switched it on...and continued playing Breath of the Wild. I still haven't quite got over the whole "you can play it at home or on the go" thing, but that first time realising that the game I had enjoyed on my TV was also in the palm of my hands...was brilliant.

My second also involved Breath of the Wild, as it's my favourite game of the year and one of my favourites of all time!

On the Sunday of launch weekend, still only about 10 odd hours in, I stumbled across my first stone talus. It bested me a few times while I tried to work out how to take it down, and then I saw the weak spot and went for it. My weapons were low powered, so it was quite a slog, and mid battle a rain and thunderstorm started, which made it even more epic. Of course at that point, I hadn't quite realised how deadly a thunderstorm could be...

As I got it down to only a few blows left, and with only one heart left myself, I heard a strange crackling sound; thinking nothing of it I powered my way through, being one hit away from an unlikely victory in battle, I lifted my METAL weapon above my head...BOOOOM! I genuinely had no idea what had happened, I thought I was about to claim a dramatic victory only for both the stone talus and Link to be dead on the floor before the game over screen popped up. Obviously, I'd been struck by lightning and obliterated in the process. The game continued to astound me over 150+ hours.

So, what have your Switch moments been this year?

[drahkon]

Seeing the Switch being a success.

[Grazza]

Breath of the Wild - It's by no means my favourite game, but it constantly staggered me.  I thought the mountain atop the starting ridge was big, then I found the one at Lanaryu, then the Eldin one, then the one in the north-west, the one in the south-west etc.  I had never played anything so impressive before.

 

And as strange as it sounds, just relaxing in bed and playing arcade perfect Neo Geo games like Metal Slug.

 

On a similar note, my third highlight is Nintendo simply feeling cooler this year.  Just as the Neo Geo games give you so many options (Japanese/Western, blood/no blood etc), it feels like Nintendo has let its hair down.  If there's a big indie release, we'll probably get it.  If there is a game with a Japanese voice track, we'll probably have the option for that.  For the first time in ages, I find myself not having any doubts whatsoever over the direction of the company.

[Ronnie]

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.

[Kav]

My (many) wow moment(s) came when playing Zelda. I chopped down a tree, used Stasis on it and hit it so that it went flying into a Bokoblin camp... and it smacked into a Bokoblin and killed it!

Thats when I really felt the world was truly the most alive game world I’d been in... and was even a weapon... I went on to have so much fun with it!

My first negative moment was seeing Nintendo’s online app... deary me, they still don’t get it!

Edited December 8, 2017 by Kav

[Nicktendo]

My favourite Switch moment is that the console actually perfectly executes the concept. It is everything the WiiU should have been.

Since the GameCube era Nintendo's software output began to change and I didn't enjoy their first party stuff as much as I had in the SNES and N64 era. The Wii was a disaster in that regard, for me anyway. You could see with the WiiU they were beginning to get their swing back, moving into HD and producing more meaty experiences, but now we have a console which matches the quality of the output of games. They aren't holding back on either front, and I can honestly say I haven't had so much fun with a Nintendo system in years.

Edited December 8, 2017 by Nicktendo

[Dcubed]

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!)

Edited December 9, 2017 by Dcubed

[nekunando]

2 hours ago, Dcubed said:

(If only it had an official capacitive stylus though...)

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

[Happenstance]

I think my best moment was when Nintendo finally updated the Switch so it would stop messing with the HDMI channels on Samsung tvs lol.

[tapedeck]

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.

 

Edited December 9, 2017 by tapedeck

[killthenet]

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.

[Mandalore]

Walking out of the starting cave in Zelda and seeing Death Mountain in the distance, knowing it was an open world game. Although that could've easily applied to Wii U.