Help me spend my eshop voucher before it expires

[Lumination]

Gonna be honest, I was really hoping BD2 would've pulled through in time, but alas, my voucher expires this Friday. Quick, tell me what game to buy and not play until I finish DQXIS and P5R (gods have mercy).

If a game isn't in the poll, it's because I either own it or not interested. Here's the rundown of what I'm thinking:

Paper Mario: I'd consider myself a fan of the first two games. Highest risk on this list as no one knows if it's going to be good, but probably also least likely to ever go on sale.

Xenoblade Chronicles: I have no interest in the sequel because that's way to animu for my Persona blood, but I was curious about how much the internet likes this one. Personally, it looks like a single player MMO to me, but I'd be down to try something new.

Persona Emblem #Not Really: Probably the safest choice on the list here. The catch is, I know I'd like it because I played about 1/4 of it on WiiU before the Switch came out and I dropped it. And also not sure if I'd be willing to bite after two hefty jrpgs already.

Super Mario Maker 2: Solid Mario platformers are always welcome in my house. I'm not really interested in ever crafting levels, but maybe playing custom levels forever can be fun?

Octopath Traveler: Second promising jrpg on the list. I love the battle system, but I think I would probably also agree on the shortcomings the internet brings up.

Astral Chain: I love P*, but dislike low-res switch games. Not much more to say. How are the investigation sequences?

Stan me your faves, Era, and save me from my poor financial decisions from yesteryear.

 

[Deleted member 37233]

Octopath Traveler: Second promising jrpg on the list. I love the battle system, but I think I would probably also agree on the shortcomings the internet brings up.

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Music, combat system and graphics are worth the price alone. It's a ton of fun and most characters are quite charming. The story isn't it's high point, but it's a brilliant little (flawed) gem.

 

[Sander VF]

Astral Chain: I love P*, but dislike low-res switch games. Not much more to say. How are the investigation sequences?

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Astral Chain is low res?

 

[chrominance]

Curious to see what people recommend. I'm in the same boat, still have both my vouchers. Considering Animal Crossing and Paper Mario but can't say either is super exciting to me and Paper Mario might also be terrible.

 

[Anbec]

I would recommend between Octopath and Xenoblade
The first is mostly a love letter to old RPGs, the story is there and I kinda wished more interactions
Xenoblade is really good ( I kinda dropped 2 and in the end I forced through it and kinda don't liked it at all) the story is good, the characters interactions are quite what makes the game (english dub which I enjoyed) and the battle system for some reason really keeps me engaged.

The others, Astral chain is a weekend long game with it's flaws but really stylish. I kinda felt like watching a superhero show, it obviously ends with the possibility of a sequel

Persona emblem I kinda played the wii u version but in the end it kinda bored... me? But I really enjoyed the difficulty spikes so that may not be your thing

 

[Deleted member 14377]

Astral Chain or Xenoblade.

Octopath regularly goes on sale for like $35

 

[RoboitoAM]

Astral Chain is low res?

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Between 720 - 900p. In which case, we should axe Xenoblade from the polls as well (max 720p docked).

Between the OP picks, I recommend Paper Mario. Even the worst ones are at least average games and it's looking sharp.

edit: although if it were my pick, yes, Astral Chain.

 

[LinkStrikesBack]

You know you'd like Tokyo mirage sessions as per the OP.

Therefore go for that

 

[Lumination]

Astral Chain is low res?

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I heard it drops down to 720p docked. I realize the irony of playing DQXI, but at least that's not an action game.

Octopath regularly goes on sale for like $35

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Oh, that's really good to know, thanks.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

I'm with you in waiting to see if Paper Mario is any good. If not, go for Xenoblade.

 

[Dance Inferno]

I voted Astral Chain. I'm playing it on a TV and it looks really good and really sharp. The anti-aliasing is what really carries it even though the resolution might be lower.

That being said it's my favorite P* game so far since the action scenes are punctuated with some down time and RPG-lite elements in the open world/investigations. I also think the combat system is very interesting since you're effectively managing your combos and your summons' abilities/combos as well.

 

[Lumination]

I voted Astral Chain. I'm playing it on a TV and it looks really good and really sharp. The anti-aliasing is what really carries it even though the resolution might be lower.

That being said it's my favorite P* game so far since the action scenes are punctuated with some down time and RPG-lite elements in the open world/investigations. I also think the combat system is very interesting since you're effectively managing your combos and your summons' abilities/combos as well.

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Yeah, I did like a lot of what I saw. Between you and me, the actual posts about Astral Chain probably weigh more to me than the votes for XC haha. But dang, people here really do love XC. How's the combat compared to Bayonetta? I don't necessarily need that complexity, but a similar pace would be cool.

 

[RuffMadman]

I chose Paper Mario with my voucher because it's the newest game coming out and wanted the most out of my buck. However, I do have most of the games on your list as well already.

 

[Banana Ocelot]

I just finished my playthrough of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition last night. If you can get behind the MMO-esque combat, there's a lot to love in this game. Gorgeous environments, charming characters, and some pretty solid twists and turns in the plot kept me engaged the entire time. At over 95 hours played, I got my money's worth. Plus, there's the brand-new epilogue they added to the definitive edition. It'll last you a while.

 

[ngower]

I voted for Xeno. I'm like 30 hours in and kind of running out of steam but I feel like I got my money's worth.

All the others (save Paper Mario) I can see being on sale this holiday season so I'd hold out for more savings.

 

[platypotamus]

Gonna be honest, I was really hoping BD2 would've pulled through in time, but alas, my voucher expires this Friday.

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OK I'll bite, what's BD2

 

[Lumination]

OK I'll bite, what's BD2

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Bravely Default 2

 

[Deleted member 11008]

I would go for Astral Chain or Xenoblade imho

 

[catvonpee]

Did you play Link's Awakening? If you didn't I would go for that one. I absolutely loved the game.

 

[oatmeal]

My last one expires July 30th. I'm hoping something is announced before then worth buying.

 

[Cheezeman3000]

I would say Xenoblade but that one will absolutely go on sale at some point.

So my vote goes to Paper Mario, which will not.

 

[Lockheartilly9799]

A Pokemon game has never gone on sale on the Switch North American eShop. Grab one of those. Any one.

 

[Durden]

Paper Mario 2nd when the game isn't even out yet and looks questionable. That Nintendo hype cycle has the capacity to blind.

Anyway I'd go with Astral Chain or SMM2. AC seems pretty divisive in some areas, but I'm a big PG fan and I absolutely adored it. I had 0 problem with it from a presentation standpoint too. Thought it looked and played great in both docked and handheld. You may be more sensitive to things I don't see though, I dunno. I still play it.

SMM2 is pretty much exactly what you said in your OP. I barely have created anything, but there's just so many levels out there to play that it's potentially endless Mario fun. It's still annoying and baffling it's missing stuff like the bookmark feature and the website SMM1 has on the Wii U, but there's still plenty of options to easily play a ton of great levels including some awesome new ones like the world maker. I still play it also.

And yeah like I implied before, I would highly recommend not caving on SPM no matter these votes. Especially with your feelings on it in the OP. There's really no telling how that game's gonna turn out.

 

[Wise]

Tokyo mirage sessions is mediocre

Mario Maker 2 is okayish

Astral Chain was quite terrible imo

Octopath traveler was a good concept with an average execution

.....

That said Xenoblade 1 is awesome, so I'd say that or wait for reviews for paper mario

 

[samred]

holy shit. my spare eShop voucher expired with zero notice from Nintendo. the eShop says that I still have a voucher, but when I try to claim it via the eShop's website, I get error codes that don't clarify that I've passed the 12-month threshold (June 27, 2019).

I ammmmmm pissssssssssssssed. I get so many freaking email alerts from Nintendo, but they couldn't bother to warn me about a voucher's expiration?

 

[Deleted member 51248]

That sucks is that the 2-game voucher?

 

[JCal]

Astral Chain is some good fun, but Xenoblade... uhm, uhm, uuuhhhmmm!

If it were me picking, Xenoblade DE.

I guess I good question is: what do you feel like playing, length wise? Astral Chain isn't as short a game as you might first think. Lots of padding type side quests, a bit more story beats, and a different kind of combat system that unravels a bit slow. You'll often have to hit up the training room to practice your new moves, on top of the initial learning curve (which might either put you off completely, or take some training room time).

Xenoblade is a long ass game. Typical JRPG. New towns, lots of side quests. The battle system is MMO-like. You position your character, you have skills on cooldown, skills have efficient use (either through proper positioning or hitting in the right sequence). To get the most out of the battle system, you really should play as all the characters (not required, mind you). So that means you have to learn how to play the DPS characters, the tanks, the healer, the mage-like character who also heals and provides support, etc. Lots to learn to really get all the goodness (IT'S SO GOOD!).

So if you're feeling like something shorter, given what you've expressed in your OP, I don't know if you'd be down for either of these, especially the odyssey that is Xenoblade.

 

[samred]

That sucks is that the 2-game voucher?

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Yeah, I'd used one half of it last year. I have taken a deep breath and am chilling on the possibility of losing the other half of the voucher. Things could be worse. (I'm on hold with Nintendo consumer service right now.)

BUT this should be a big stonkin' loud PSA to everyone else in case you haven't used yours yet. Nintendo won't remind you before/when it expires.

 

[NioA]

If Astral Chain's low res is what is stopping you, then don't worry, it's probably the best looking game on Switch (and probably one of the best all around, I'm playing it lately and it's masterpiece material).
Xenoblade Chronicles is another excellent game as well

 

[Deleted member 34873]

Xenoblade is objectively the right choice but I love Tokyo Mirage Sessions so much that my vote goes there.

 

[Dance Inferno]

Yeah, I did like a lot of what I saw. Between you and me, the actual posts about Astral Chain probably weigh more to me than the votes for XC haha. But dang, people here really do love XC. How's the combat compared to Bayonetta? I don't necessarily need that complexity, but a similar pace would be cool.

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Very different combat. Bayonetta is more about different combo inputs whereas Astral Chain's combos are not very complex. You have one button to use your own weapon, and another button to activate your legion's attack. However the complexity comes in using the tag-team attacks. So for example after a standard 3-hit combo with your sword, your character will flash and you press the left trigger to activate a legion tag-team attack, which you can then follow up with a combined combo (which also grants i-frames). Or if you execute a perfect dodge, you can tap left trigger for a legion attack. Or if you pull off a perfect call (summon your legion at the very second you get attacked), you nullify damage and activate a legion attack. You also get multiple legions who each have different combo strings and can activate legion attacks with different prompts and properties (melee vs. ranged vs. speed etc). So while you're only really using two buttons to attack, combat is mostly about switching legions based on what you're fighting and keeping track of which tag-team attacks are available to you based on the actions you're taking.

It's hard to explain but honestly it sometimes feels like a rhythm game once you get the timing down and you can consistently activate legion attacks. It feels really good. You should watch a few YT videos of the combat if you're interested.

 

[Giga Man]

Super Mario Maker 2. It's a change of pace between the two RPGs you're wrestling with. If it was me, I would finish DQ, play a different genre, then play P5 because I'm the type of person who gets burnt out by playing multiple RPGs back-to-back. At least with Mario Maker, you can jump in and out whenever you feel like it.

 

[Kill3r7]

I was in the same position as you and opted to grab Smash this morning. The kids still play it and it's one less cartridge I need to keep handy.

Yeah, I'd used one half of it last year. I have taken a deep breath and am chilling on the possibility of losing the other half of the voucher. Things could be worse. (I'm on hold with Nintendo consumer service right now.)

BUT this should be a big stonkin' loud PSA to everyone else in case you haven't used yours yet. Nintendo won't remind you before/when it expires.

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Yep.

 

[Weebos]

I would have said Octopath, but it goes on sale pretty frequently.

 

[TechMetalRules]

Take the risk... go Paper Mario!

 

[Lumination]

The new preview for Paper Mario does seem... appealing?

Paper Mario: The Origami King interview with Tanabe + new screenshots & concept arts [some slight spoilers of potential bosses]

https://www.gameinformer.com/preview/2020/06/30/a-new-crease-on-life-nintendo-shares-insight-on-paper-marios-latest-adventure A few cool tidbits:

www.resetera.com

I am very surprised that it's 2nd in the running. Wonder if people are actually interested in it or that the other options are less interesting.

 

[Darknight]

Yeah, I'd used one half of it last year. I have taken a deep breath and am chilling on the possibility of losing the other half of the voucher. Things could be worse. (I'm on hold with Nintendo consumer service right now.)

BUT this should be a big stonkin' loud PSA to everyone else in case you haven't used yours yet. Nintendo won't remind you before/when it expires.

Click to shrink...

Any good news come your way?

 

[dallow_bg]

I set a calendar reminder for my expiration a year ago.
Got to pick my last one now... I guess Xenoblade it is.

 

[Fulminator]

Xenoblade

amazing, fantastic game.

 

[samred]

Any good news come your way?

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Yep, I got my voucher reactivated with a seven-day lifespan (meaning, I could wait until July 6 to use it, though I decided to just claim a game immediately). This required a combined hour on the phone waiting on hold and bouncing from one department to the next. I was only 3 days off of my voucher's expiration, and they acknowledged that their lack of email alerts about expiring vouchers was less than ideal. Nintendo customer service is notoriously nice and accommodating, but do NOT take this as a sign that your own expired vouchers will necessarily get reinstated via phone call, especially if you're 7+ days late.

Also, I learned something today:

 

[Clay]

Mario Maker is easily the best game on your list IMO, but it's the game of game you kind of know whether or not you'll enjoy. I had a ton of fun with it without getting into making levels (more because I don't have time to devote to it then lack of interest). There's a popular genre of levels where people make crazy obstacle courses you have to get through in a short time limit, usually 10-20 seconds. They reminded me a lot of the treasure chest levels from Rayman Origins, which are some of my favorite platforming levels of all time.

Realistically very, very few of the levels are of the quality you'd get in a proper Mario, but it's cool to see what people do with the tools.

Xenoblade is a safe choice if you like RPGs.

 

[Darknight]

Yep, I got my voucher reactivated with a seven-day lifespan (meaning, I could wait until July 6 to use it, though I decided to just claim a game immediately). This required a combined hour on the phone waiting on hold and bouncing from one department to the next. I was only 3 days off of my voucher's expiration, and they acknowledged that their lack of email alerts about expiring vouchers was less than ideal. Nintendo customer service is notoriously nice and accommodating, but do NOT take this as a sign that your own expired vouchers will necessarily get reinstated via phone call, especially if you're 7+ days late.

Also, I learned something today:

Click to shrink...

Awesome! Glad it worked out for you. Yep, I would never take it as policy or a given, but knowing how good Nintendo's customer service usually is, I was curious how they would treat you in this. You saying this reminded me to put a reminder in my calendar to make sure I use my last one before the end of July. Only reason I don't use it now is just in case Nintendo adds something at the last second which they probably won't because it would be weird to add it at the end of the promotion period since I believe I got mine on the last day they were available. Again, glad everything worked out for you!

 

[lord_of_flood]

Here's how I would rank these choices:

1. Xenoblade DE - one of the best JRPGs to come out in the last decade. The combat system might be hit or miss for you (I personally like it a lot), but the world design, the plot, the characters, and the OST are sooooo good. Absolute must-play, I would put this one above all others since you've never played it before.
2. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - I would have bought this again if I didn't have a billion things in my backlog to play. Like you, I've played through a good chunk on Wii U, and I'd love to play it again if I can clear out most of my backlog.
3. Astral Chain - It's actually not quite "low-res", and from a visual standpoint it's one of the best looking Switch titles. The combat is great and really unique among many others in the genre (including Platinum's own stuff), but investigation sequences are a total drag and the plot is practically worthless after the 8th chapter, so take that for what you will.
4. Super Mario Maker 2 - I didn't care much for it since I don't really care about the creator tools or 2D Mario in general, but if you really like 2D platformers, it might be worth a shot.
5. Paper Mario: The Origami King - it's a big unknown but I think it has a real shot of being pretty good. It is the biggest risk to take, though, because it being "good" will likely depend on what mindset you have going into it.
6. Octopath Traveler - I actually dislike this game a lot, which sucks because I love its battle system as a concept. However, grinding is one of the most atrociously boring things you can do because even regular battles are fairly mentally taxing and take a million years to finish, and the game has recommended levels for each area that you should be around. The plot that I played wasn't great either. As mentioned, Octopath also goes on sale from time to time.

Basically, if you've never played Xenoblade, that should be your pick 100%. TMS #FE wouldn't be bad either if you're really concerned, but I say take the leap of faith and play Xenoblade.

 

[Like the hat?]

Mario maker 2 is nearly infinitely replayable.

 

[night814]

Gotta go with Xenoblade or TMS#fe. I voted XB but either is an excellent choice, TMS may lose some of its charm after a bit where as XB is pretty consistent in its story telling.

 

[Pineapple]

I would go for Xenoblade as it's one of the newer choices so it will most likely take longer to go on sale, plus you get the DLC side story in this one. I'm playing through it right now and really enjoying it.

I most likely will have to make a similar thread next month and my choices are even less than ideal. lol

 

[Dremorak]

way to animu for my Persona blood

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Persona is so much more anime than xenoblade lol

 

[Zolbrod]

Paper Mario: Hard to say, but it'll probably be fun?

Xenoblade Chronicles: My personal GOAT, so this is what I chose on the poll. Fantastic game. If you're not looking for a hefty JRPG though, this is the worst pick. It's huuuuuuuuuge.

Persona Emblem #Not Really: Really good. If you liked what you played, it's a safe choice.

Super Mario Maker 2: Probably my second-best pick. Can't really go wrong with this. I spent dozen of hours with it, and never built a single level. The offline mode is a lot of fun too.

Octopath Traveler: I really enjoyed the first set of chapters, but I bounced off hard once you get to the second set. It becomes extremely grindy.

Astral Chain: I love P* as well, but I had a lot of problems with this game. The combat is great, as you'd expect, but it can be immensely frustrating, due to wonky platforming and a very unhelpful camera.

 

[Zolbrod]

Persona is so much more anime than xenoblade lol

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If you're talking about the original, yeah, but he was talking about the sequel, which is pretty goddamn animu.

 

[Thequietone]

If it was me Xenoblade but it is one of my all time favorites. The first one does have waifu problems if that's what you mean about too anime for you regarding the sequel, but it's no where near as bad as 2. Mario Maker I'm like you I don't make levels often I just play the levels. You can play easy, normal, hard, or super hard as endless mode separates them if you don't know already, so you can tackle what ever difficulty you like. Octopath is good but I'd easily say wait for a sale. I haven't played TMS so I can't say anything about it. Astral Chain I loved but it's not for everybody and I hesitate to ever recommend it to anyone especially for someone who isn't sure about it themselves.