• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Help me pick my next Switch game

Dance Inferno

Dance Inferno

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,999
I have a $50 credit on the Dell website that expires in a week. Their game selection is pretty limited but I've narrowed it down to the following games. Which one should I get? I'm going to be traveling a lot over the next two months so I'll be playing this game on flights/hotels mostly.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses
+ I like strategy games (e.g., XCOM)
+ Seems like a long and meaty game
- Seems like it might drag towards the middle/end of a long campaign
- Not sure how I feel about the Persona elements

Luigi's Mansion 3
+ Super charming
+ I love Resident Evil Remake, and this looks like a Nintendo take on the genre
- Seems like a short game
- I wonder if the mechanics / combat will stay interesting throughout the whole game

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
+ I've never played an isometric Zelda
+ Apparently improves on the original
- Technical issues / slowdown
- I didn't enjoy BotW

Astral Chain
+ Platinum action game
+ The detective stuff seems interesting
- I have Bayonetta 2 on Switch which I need to finish
- I feel like this will go on sale lower than the other games on the list

Thoughts? Which one should I get?
 
Last edited:
Richietto

Richietto

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,964
North Carolina
Imma tell you right now, Astral Chain ain't getting a deeper discount than other Nintendo games. If you didn't like BotW you might just like Links Awakening.
 
Robin

Robin

Restless Insomniac
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,502
Well, some of your pros/cons seem a bit like misconceptions, to clear one thing up, LM3 is actually a pretty meaty game. Also at least to me, the Link's Awakening performance criticisms are very overblown. They exist and I wish they would get fixed but it is hardly a ruined game and it is something you can forget if you will it to. Having all four, I'd say you should get them all but maybe Astral Chain last.
 
Transistor

Transistor

Vodka martini, dirty, with Tito's please
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
37,127
Washington, D.C.
Out of those? Links Awakening.

But im gonna suggest none of those and recommend Dragon Quest Builders 2 instead
 
Nights

Nights

Member
Oct 27, 2017
866
Fire Emblem is essentially a 40+ hour game that gives you at least 3 Playthroughs. I never felt like it dragged and It'd be my personal pick just because there's so much content to play if you feel inclined to do so. And as for the "Persona" elements, I'm assuming you're talking about the Affection system, which you can mostly ignore, because it never really even did anything during my playthrough. I mostly ignored it, and I played on Hard with minimal troubles.

Astral Chain is probably not going to go on a deep sale. 20$ off at most at maybe Black Friday is probably the best you'll get unless you find a great B2G1 sale. I put about 80 hours into it, but I think most people will get about 10-15 if you just wanna do the main story and be done with it.

IMHO Zelda LA and Luigis Mansion 3 are both fine choices but are both on the shorter side of about 12ish hours. And having played through most of LM3, I'm eh on it. Its okay, but I still prefer LM1.
 
King Dodongo

King Dodongo

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,026
I would recommend all of them with 3 Houses being the one you will spend the most amount of time if you're short on funds.
 
RoadDogg

RoadDogg

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,061
Luigi is a better game than Zelda. Zelda isn't bad but it is pretty short and easy. I think you will like it a lot, but Luigi seems like it is going to be a longer, more interesting game. I beat Zelda and am about half way through Luigi right now. The mechanics haven't gotten old yet and the co-op is fun if that matters to you. Havent tried the multiplayer at all yet but I doubt I will ever touch Zelda again.
 
Chaosblade

Chaosblade

Resettlement Advisor
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,592
For one playthrough FE only drags as much as you let it.

For a second playthrough and beyond, yeah, it does drag. I couldn't finish a second route.
 
lovecatt

lovecatt

Member
Nov 12, 2017
2,427
Fire Emblem only drags if you let it. It has a ton of auto options that lets you skip around and just get to the story/action if that's what you want.

And the persona comparisons are actually kinda shallow. They're really not THAT similar.
 
selo

selo

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,108
Out of your list, probably Fire emblem. I'd suggest Witcher 3 if you don't already own it in another platform.
 
Bigg

Bigg

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,619
Couple things to note:

LM3 is actually pretty meaty for what it is. Reviews have said the story takes 13-15 hours, which is probably on par with LA. Maybe slightly longer.

I would not really say LM3 and RE2 have much in common except the puzzley elements. LM3 is pretty linear, focuses way more on humor/slapstick rather than horror, and there's nothing in the way of survival elements.

Having said all that, I think the best choice for you based on what you've said is Three Houses. It's generally considered to be the best FE in recent memory and I actually haven't heard many complaints about the pacing.
 
Clay

Clay

Member
Oct 29, 2017
8,109
Get Zelda!

Some thoughts on your list:

Fire Emblem is very, very easy compared to XCOM. If you're iffy about the Persona aspects skip it, the combat is inconsequential enough that it almost feels like a visual novel. You'll very rarely find yourself making the meaningful tactical decisions that make XCOM fun.

You're right that Luigi's Mansion 3 is very short. This may be a good thing. I picked it up on launch night and returned it Gamestop two days later with their new "love it guarantee" program. But it's not going to last you many trips. You can extend your playtime by seeking out hidden items (which don't do much of anything, you're finding them just for the sake of them) and finding the hidden Boo character in each level (which is mind-numbingly boring).

Personally I found the detective parts of Astral Chain ridiculous, and not in a fun, over-the-top way. In an early level you examine a crime scene where someone was kidnapped. There's a huge, red handprint on the ground. Your team deduces that the missing person may have been taken by some kind of demon with huge hands. Moments later a demon with huge hands pops out of a portal and starts attacking the city. You probably would have tried to stop it even if you hadn't identified it as a potential culprit of another crime. It's also not an action game in the way Bayonetta is, the combat is far, far simpler.

If you didn't like the shrines in BotW I'd probably go back to the drawing board. If you did like them, you'll probably enjoy LA. 2D games have far more shrine-esque puzzle solving and far less roaming around. You will spend exploring the world, but it's minuscule size compared to BotW makes it impossible to spend as much time wandering from place to place.

Nights said:
Astral Chain is probably not going to go on a deep sale. 20$ off at most at maybe Black Friday is probably the best you'll get unless you find a great B2G1 sale. I put about 80 hours into it, but I think most people will get about 10-15 if you just wanna do the main story and be done with it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

It's nearly $17 off MSRP on Amazon right now. It's not hard to imagine it being discounted more heavily during the holiday season.
 
Last edited:
HardRojo

HardRojo

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,100
Peru
I'd recommend either Luigi's Mansion 3 or Astral Chain. I just started AC earlier today and I'm loving it, though what I've read about Luigi's Mansion 3 has been pretty impressive as well. Don't waste your money on Link's Awakening, wait for it to go down in price, it's not worth full price, at least not when you have 2 much better options right there. Don't waste money on Fire Emblem either.
 
lovecatt

lovecatt

Member
Nov 12, 2017
2,427
Clay said:
Get Zelda!

Some thoughts on your list:

Fire Emblem is very, very easy compared to XCOM. If you're iffy about the Persona aspects skip it, the combat is inconsequential enough that it almost feels like a visual novel. You'll very rarely find yourself making the consequential tactical decisions that make XCOM fun.

You're right that Luigi's Mansion 3 is very short. This may be a good thing. I picked it up on launch night and returned it Gamestop two days later with their new "love it guarantee" program. But it's not going to last you many trips. You can extend your playtime by seeking out hidden items (which don't do much of anything, you're finding them just for the sake of them) and finding the hidden Boo character in each level (which is mind-numbingly boring).

Personally I found the detective parts of Astral Chain ridiculous, and not in a fun, over-the-top way. In an early level you examine a crime scene where someone was kidnapped. There's a huge, red handprint on the ground. Your team deduces that the missing person may have been taken by some kind of demon with huge hands. Moments later a demon with huge hands pops out of a portal and starts attacking the city. You probably would have tried to stop it even if you hadn't identified it as a potential culprit of another crime. It's also not an action game in the way Bayonetta is, the combat is far, far simpler.

If you didn't like the shrines in BotW I'd probably go back to the drawing board. If you did like them, you'll probably enjoy LA. 2D games have far more shrine-esque puzzle solving and far less roaming around. You will spend exploring the world, but it's minuscule size compared to BotW makes it impossible to spend as much time wandering from place to place.



It's nearly $17 off MSRP on Amazon right now. It's not hard to imagine it being discounted more heavily during the holiday season.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Amazon is having a sale on first party Nintendo at the moment. It's not just Astral Chain.
 
OP
OP
Dance Inferno

Dance Inferno

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,999
blame space said:
do they sell eshop cards
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I wish. They do sell Xbox cards but I don't have an Xbox.

Clay said:
Get Zelda!

Some thoughts on your list:

Fire Emblem is very, very easy compared to XCOM. If you're iffy about the Persona aspects skip it, the combat is inconsequential enough that it almost feels like a visual novel. You'll very rarely find yourself making the consequential tactical decisions that make XCOM fun.

You're right that Luigi's Mansion 3 is very short. This may be a good thing. I picked it up on launch night and returned it Gamestop two days later with their new "love it guarantee" program. But it's not going to last you many trips. You can extend your playtime by seeking out hidden items (which don't do much of anything, you're finding them just for the sake of them) and finding the hidden Boo character in each level (which is mind-numbingly boring).

Personally I found the detective parts of Astral Chain ridiculous, and not in a fun, over-the-top way. In an early level you examine a crime scene where someone was kidnapped. There's a huge, red handprint on the ground. Your team deduces that the missing person may have been taken by some kind of demon with huge hands. Moments later a demon with huge hands pops out of a portal and starts attacking the city. You probably would have tried to stop it even if you hadn't identified it as a potential culprit of another crime. It's also not an action game in the way Bayonetta is, the combat is far, far simpler.

If you didn't like the shrines in BotW I'd probably go back to the drawing board. If you did like them, you'll probably enjoy LA. 2D games have far more shrine-esque puzzle solving and far less roaming around. You will spend exploring the world, but it's minuscule size compared to BotW makes it impossible to spend as much time wandering from place to place.



It's nearly $17 off MSRP on Amazon right now. It's not hard to imagine it being discounted more heavily during the holiday season.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Man, I'm getting a lot more Zelda recommendations than I was expecting. The shrines in BotW were one of the few things I liked about it. I found the exploration and combat painful, given how many mechanics you had to fight. Is LA mostly puzzle solving vs. combat?

Also I'm drawn to LM3 because it gives me Mario Odyssey vibes, and I enjoyed that game. Is the core combat/exploration any fun? I understand that it probably won't last me very long, but neither will LA for that matter.
 
blame space

blame space

Resettlement Advisor
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,420
links awakening is nothing like botw and gooigi 3 is nothing like Mario. just get Luigi's Mansion 3 it's really good.
 
GeekyDad

GeekyDad

Banned
Nov 11, 2017
1,689
USA
With that choice of games, you could close your eyes and just pick. Me personally, it would be FE, as I know it's the one I would replay over and over...and over.
 
Ramsay

Ramsay

Member
Jul 2, 2019
3,621
Australia
To be honest, any of the four except Astral Chain is a good pick.

If you disliked BOTW, then Link's Awakening would definitely be more suited to you.

I'd say that Fire Emblem is the best out of the four games listed above, but if definitely has a lesser focus on strategy than something like XCOM, so it might not suited to you.

Luigi's Mansion 3 isn't that much like RE2, and it is really charming and creative. That being said, it is as short as you fear (around 10-15 hours?).

Don't get Astral Chain. Bayonetta 2's combat is far, far better, and the non-combat portions of Astral Chain range from mediocre to outright bad. It's probably the weakest major Platinum game they've released.
 
LittleAlchemist

LittleAlchemist

Member
Sep 14, 2019
623
I would say personally:

Luigi's Mansion 3 > Link's Awakening > Astral Chain > FE:TH

Luigi's Mansion 3 is one of the most impressive games on the system (LA and Astral Chain are too, but I think LM3 wins it), has some great puzzles, and consistently introduces unique environments and new gimmicks (even if the gameplay loop is admittedly very samey).

Link's Awakening is the one I've played the least, but it's a very beautiful game, has some nice puzzles, and has fantastic music.

Astral Chain I feel mixed on even though overall I'm positive ... it takes quite a while for the combat to "get good" and feel natural, and while I really like the combat and dungeon parts, the game is horribly paced (detective missions are listed as a positive on your list but trust me they are not), has an awful story, and can just seem lackluster in some regards (camera can be crappy at times).

FE:TH I stopped playing after only having 5 missions left because it honestly does drag. You can skip the Persona stuff, but it gives your units pretty good stat boosts. The game also has a somewhat awkward gameplay loop, because even if you do skip the school stuff, you just go to a menu and pick a battle mission rather than traversing a cool map. Weird complaint I know, but its compounded with the fact that there's strangely very little CG cutscenes, or at least feels like it(especially compared to the 3ds games). The story is just told very plainly and takes forever to get anywhere. That's just my experience though, specifically with the Golden Deer route.
 
Ryengeku

Ryengeku

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,650
Georgia, US
Fire Emblem. Maddening difficulty.

All you need.

Xavi said:
Get Zelda, looking at your cons,not liking BoTW seems like a pro in this case since they are completely different.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
15986.jpg
"Get Zelda"

Edelgard weeps at your lack of loyalty.
 
Last edited:
n00bs7ay3r

n00bs7ay3r

Attempted to circumvent ban with an alt-account
Banned
Aug 21, 2018
1,159
Zelda is not worth the price imo. One of the worst Zelda games and definitely should not be a full priced game.

Fire Emblem is awesome but note that the actual turn-based strategy portion is only like half of what makes up that game. The rest is about having conversations with other characters and developing relationships/getting to know them. If that aint your bag then it might not be for you.

Luigi's Mansion seems like a safe bet. I haven't played it but it seems super charming and fun.

I don't really know anything about Astral Chain.
 
Clay

Clay

Member
Oct 29, 2017
8,109
Dance Inferno said:
Man, I'm getting a lot more Zelda recommendations than I was expecting. The shrines in BotW were one of the few things I liked about it. I found the exploration and combat painful, given how many mechanics you had to fight. Is LA mostly puzzle solving vs. combat?

Also I'm drawn to LM3 because it gives me Mario Odyssey vibes, and I enjoyed that game. Is the core combat/exploration any fun? I understand that it probably won't last me very long, but neither will LA for that matter.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, there's combat in Zelda but the focus in on puzzle-solving and exploration.

Luigi's Mansion is uneven. I enjoyed exploring the hotel, the graphics are great and the environment have a ton of fun details. The boss fights are awesome. Unfortunately the regular combat is completely brain-dead. You may have heard of the "slam" move, I won't get into detail but regular ghosts are ridiculously easy to defeat and fights end up quickly feeling like busy work.

I wouldn't compare it to Odyssey personally. You're exploring a hotel one room at a time, so there's nothing close to Odyssey's open levels. There's zero platforming, you only interact with the environment using your vacuum. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but don't go in thinking there's anything similar to Odyssey aside from the art style.

n00bs7ay3r said:
One of the worst Zelda games and definitely should not be a full priced game.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I don't mean to diminish anyone's opinion, but since OP doesn't seem to have a lot of experience with the series it seems pertinent to point out that most fans consider LA one of the best games in the series.

Not THE best mind you, but I honestly think this is the first time I've ever seen someone call LA one of the series' worst, it's generally very well regarded.

As far as whether or not it should be full-priced, it costs the same as Luigi's Mansion and is very similar in length, so unless you base purchasing decisions solely on graphics it's unclear why one would be worth more than the other.
 
Completely Anonymous

Completely Anonymous

alt account
Banned
Jun 7, 2019
861
Maddening difficulty with FE is awesome. Zelda is great, but the price is hard to swallow for the length of the game. Astral Chain was great, but don't play it with the joy cons, because it will tear them up

Know nothing about LM3
 
LavitzSlambert

LavitzSlambert

Member
Nov 8, 2017
845
Luigi's Mansion 3 is the best answer. It has set a new benchmark for Switch games and I'm not even that far in. Really blends the old style with a newer almost Metroidvania-like progression.

If you need something to last a long time then you can't go wrong with Fire Emblem. Not that Astral Chain and Link's Awakening aren't great, but I don't think they have as much appeal as these two.
 
AnimeJesus

AnimeJesus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,171
1. Luigis Mansion 3 - great game with lots of personality. It's long enough as well.

2. Fire Emblem - if u like strategy this should be a no brainer. I didn't care for it though.

3. Link Awakening - not a fan of this one either. Short games with very tedious dungeons. The slowdown really sucks too but you get used to it.
 
n00bs7ay3r

n00bs7ay3r

Attempted to circumvent ban with an alt-account
Banned
Aug 21, 2018
1,159
Clay said:
I don't mean to diminish anyone's opinion, but since OP doesn't seem to have a lot of experience with the series it seems pertinent to point out that most fans consider LA one of the best games in the series.

Not THE best mind you, but I honestly think this is the first time I've ever seen someone call LA one of the series' worst, it's generally very well regarded.

As far as whether or not it should be full-priced, it's the same price as Luigi's Mansion and very similar in length, so unless you base purchasing decision solely on graphics it's unclear why one would be worth more than the other.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Up until I played this remake I held the same opinion. I considered Link's Awakening to be probably in my top 5 Zelda games of all time. Link's Awakening was the 2nd Zelda game I ever played (after Link to the Past) and the first Zelda game I ever beat. I don't even think I could say my opinion was so high because of nostalgia either as I replayed the game a few years ago on the 3DS and enjoyed it. I think my issues with the game are specifically because of the Switch version.

The Switch version is a very cute and polished version of the game and even includes some wonderful quality of life improvements. But outside of some small changes, it is a VERY faithful adaptation of the original and I think that is to its detriment. One of the reason's Link's Awakening was so good and is so highly regarded is because of what it managed to accomplish on the hardware that it was made for. They stuck so close to that original game in terms of design that I feel we got an end product that looks like a Switch game but plays like a game that was made for the gameboy. In the end it just fell flat for me because of this.

I will say that if you do go for Zelda OP, make heavy use of the pinpoint system in the map screen. Anytime you come across anything that you can't currently do, put a mark on your map. There are numerous times in the game where you are not well directed to where you are supposed to go next or what is required of you to get there. And if you don't mark things out you can spend a lot of time wondering around the map looking for an objective that you may not be totally certain where it is. I also found it very helpful, especially in the later dungeons, to mark which staircases lead to what other part of the dungeon.

If you do get it I hope you enjoy it, but for me, it is one of my least favourite games in the series. Granted BOTW is my absolute favourite so we may just have different tastes.
 
PKrockin

PKrockin

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,260
Unless you're absolutely in love with the visual style and music of the Link's Awakening remaster, you could just go play the original Gameboy Color game and miss very little of real worth. The GBC game has aged well and is like 1/10th the price.

Better yet, presumably you have the online subscription? Just go play A Link to the Past on the SNES app first. It's also aged well, it's even more acclaimed than Link's Awakening and is very much in the same style. If you like LTTP, you'll like Link's Awakening.
 
Folkenhellfang

Folkenhellfang

Member
Oct 27, 2017
412
Luigi it's the only I didn't play.

My big question is, are you in a hurry? If so, your enjoyment of FE or Astral Chain will be impeded.

Fire Emblem could possibly drive you to a kind of neurological condition while trying to recruit every student. Maybe even any student, but it is still great.
Don't worry about the relationship stuff, it's very understated and easily ignored.

The more I play, the more I think Astral Chain is my favorite game this year. Combat is a little snoozy compared to other Platinum games, but that's just to give you a chance to come to grips with the coming complexity.
Controlling two characters at the same time continues to challenge, the opportunities to achive mastery are many, and the visuals are wonderful.

Link's Awakening is very cool. Brief, beautiful, and funny. I found the dungeon maker was interesting, if limited. It's also very short.

My vote is Astral Chain.
 
Cerium

Cerium

The Former
Member
Oct 23, 2017
1,741
Fire Emblem. If you like strategy and management you'll be in heaven.

Link's Awakening is a short game, if that matters to you.
 
Gianko

Gianko

Member
Nov 1, 2017
425
ROME, ITALY
well, for me go with Luigi. it's over the top!
i own and finished all your others option...very disappointed by Fire Emblem. The others one are very good too!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.