I'm not crazy about the Switch -- Am I broken?

Datajoy said:

I am also disappointed by the lack of new games this year. Hopefully things pick up in 2019 and we start seeing more first-party output.

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If you only buy first party games on Switch, yeah. But even then, lack of new games didn't happen when there's six new releases for that same reason without counting the remasters, of course.

Derrick01 said:

It's been a pretty bad year for it so no I don't think you're weird or crazy. I've only bought hyrule warriors this year and that's only because I didn't have a Wii U, if I did I wouldn't have gotten it for switch. So 1 whole game in 9.5 months. It's a pretty dire situation.

Thankfully the xenoblade expansion is soon.

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Uh, no, it wasn't at all. There was many releases both fp and third party with indies as well. It's not because you only bought one game that it was bad. If we go by that, I bought Star Allies, Dandara, Mario Tennis Aces, Octopath Traveler, Hollow Knight, The Messenger, Bomb Chicken, Dead Cells and I still plan to buy others that I had no chance to pick it up. See how there's many things? There's many releases every month so I find it quite strange to say that it's in that situation.

OrbitalBeard said:

I probably wouldn't be crazy about the Switch either if I willingly ignored the majority of its library.

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For sure.

I think the Switch would be the system of my life if I was physically unable to sit down and play on my couch but ironically I ended up playing on my PC more and now I have issue spending any extended amount of times holding my switch to play games. If I was the "I can't play in front of my TV anymore" crowd, the value of the switch would shoot up dramatically but it turns out I'm perfectly fine with this.

I only play Mario and Zelda on mine. Worth it. I bought Mario kart and it reminded me why I sort of went away from nintendo. I'm not really into alot of these games.

But Mario and Zelda are totally worth it. Especially Zelda.

I haven't bought the thing yet, but I know all to well that it'll end up being my Smash Bros machine when I DO get it. Portability has never been something I cared about in my systems, and I'm not super huge on most Indies(the ones I AM interested come out on PS4, so I just get those on my Pro). I'm okay with just smash, cause it'll get thousands of hours out of me, but that's honestly the only "must have" that the switch is offering as of now.

I'm interested in Metroid Prime 4, but we still haven't seen any gameplay so I'm a bit wary with that one. I'm HOPING for a Kid Icarus sequel, since Uprising was like my favorite game on the 3DS, but that's a hypothetical that may never come.

I know the switch isn't going to be this game changer for me like it is for many here, but I always took the switch as a machine meant for Nintendo fans, so I'm a little surprised you aren't feeling it OP. Maybe you'll get something big later today during the direct, hopefully something gets announced that's right up your alley.

Nemesis162 said:

If you only buy first party games on Switch, yeah. But even then, lack of new games didn't happen when there's seven new releases for that same reason.

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Have their been seven new first-party releases for Switch so far this year? I can't quite think of that many.

Datajoy said:

Have their been seven new first-party releases for Switch so far this year? I can't quite think of that many.

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I edited my post but it's actually 6 new ones.

The six games are: Kirby Star Allies, Mario Tennis Aces, Sushi Strikers, Super Mario Party, Pokémon Let's Go and Smash Bros. I'm not counting Labo kit 1 and 2 because it'll be obviously discounted but that would be 8.

And I guess Octopath Traveler which is exclusive and published by Nintendo on the west.

I am a livelong Nintendo fan too (as such it baffles me that you skipped my two favorite generations).

First of I just love the hardware. It's slick and neat (outside of the dock - I kinda hate the dock). The moment they revealed the hybrid functionality I realized that at least to me it's a godsend. And to top it off developers seem to be very content with it in general.

I do feel the same about first party releases. it's "lacking" but at the same time with Zelda, Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart and Xenoblade beeing the top tier games they are, I am still working my way through those and am happy with it.

I understand that indies keep the software stream alive but I frankly do not care much for indies at this point. i do have Trübberbock pre-ordered though so we will see how that goes.

But then there is the prospect of the games (3rd party too) coming wich keeps me hanging in there. Animal Crossing, Metroid Prime, Shin Megami Tensei just of the top of my head.

OrbitalBeard said:

I probably wouldn't be crazy about the Switch either if I willingly ignored the majority of its library.

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Yep. A clear cut case of user error.

But OP has been beating that dead horse since this forum went live, so *shrug* .

" I'm only interested in ( very specific set of games) and unwilling to branch out to anything outside of my comfort zone. Why is there nothing to play ?"

OrbitalBeard said:

Animal Crossing is definitely coming.

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I know, I'm just tired of waiting. I don't like to let a console gather dust. Nintendo hardware/games keeping a high price only make the decision to sell easier.

I haven't used mine in about 3 months. I like the hardware, but the software situation has been pretty dreadful this year. And since I have no interest in Mario Party, Smash, or Pokemon-Lite Edition, I probably won't be using it again until next year.

OP, Doom was on sale last week. Crash is on sale this week. Pay attention to the eshop.

Also, if you dont mind physical releases you can still get many great third party titles online for cheaper. You just need to know where to look.

NateDrake said:

You say there are games of interest on the system you want to play and haven't bought -- like Xenoblade 2. You have ignored all digital releases on the platforms, thus meaning you've missed out on many indie gems that are excellent on the system. Expand your horizons a bit and see what the system has to offer you beyond Nintendo first-party exclusives.

Did you try the Octopath demo?

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That's exactely what I was thinking.
I wouldn't have half or even 3/4 the library I have on the Switch if I sticked with the cliché "Nintendo console is for Nintendo games".

I'm a Switch only person, and I've found Nintendo's 2018 output to be pretty disappointing. But the fact is there is an absolute mountain of quality games on the eShop to play. The thing about the indie scene is that a lot of those games should appeal to your sensibilities as a Nintendo fan because they're all very much games designed around gameplay first (which is what happens when you're operating off smaller budgets).

Go into the monthly eShop threads and look at the recommendations from people. Eventually you'll have a watch list of like 20 games and you can just wait til they're on sale and pick them up. You'll never run out of anything to play.

Just of the top of my head:

Golf Story
Celeste
Hollow Knight
Picross S
Splasher
Into the Breach
Owlboy

If you're not active in the indie scene, especially as a Nintendo fan, you're missing out on so much good stuff.

IMO, seems strange to only view the Switch as a first party machine, when the are around 20 first party titles and 1000+ 2nd/3rd party titles. For example, there are:
* Almost 50 non-1st party games that reviewed better than Splatoon 2
* Around 140 non-1st party games that reviewed better than ARMS
* Around 170 non-1st party games that reviewed better than Mario Tennis
* More than 200 non-1st party games that reviewed better than Kirby Star Allies

and so on.

Nappael said:

Nearly every indie game has a better version somewhere else. For most of them, I already own them on PC.

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I very much doubt that you (or anyone else) know nearly every indie game on the Switch, not even the ones at MC+ 75 and above.

legend166 said:

I'm a Switch only person, and I've found Nintendo's 2018 output to be pretty disappointing. But the fact is there is an absolute mountain of quality games on the eShop to play. The thing about the indie scene is that a lot of those games should appeal to your sensibilities as a Nintendo fan because they're all very much games designed around gameplay first (which is what happens when you're operating off smaller budgets).

Go into the monthly eShop threads and look at the recommendations from people. Eventually you'll have a watch list of like 20 games and you can just wait til they're on sale and pick them up. You'll never run out of anything to play.

Just of the top of my head:

Golf Story
Celeste
Hollow Knight
Picross S
Splasher
Into the Breach
Owlboy

If you're not active in the indie scene, especially as a Nintendo fan, you're missing out on so much good stuff.

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A game like Yoku's Island Express, plays very much like a wacky fun Nintendo game, and it looks and sounds gorgeous. But it sold poorly on Switch, even though the user impressions generally were excellent and it reviewed in the same range as Octopath/Splatoon 2 score-wise. One of the reasons it didn't sell that well probably was because it wasn't a "Nintendo game".

to me switch has been a dream system. after taking a break from gaming for a few years, coming back to it with a handheld system that has all these games i've never played, and have games that weren't possible on a handheld before, it's really renewed my love for video games.
but i get it, if i had a wiiu, 3ds, a bunch of last gen systems and have been playing games i may not be as enthusiastic about switch. and honestly, while i'm enjoying it now i don't know how long it may last. maybe in a few months or a few years i stop caring about video games again.

I feel the same way. Only game I'm excited for is Smash. Most of the time I just play Splatoon 2 and Hollow Knight.

Remain where you are. A Nintendo reeducation team is en route.

OP I feel that you are dismissing the Indies too quickly. I implore you to pick up Celeste, Hollow Knight, Shovel knight, Overcooked and Rocket League if you don't already have them. A bunch of other people will chime in with a dozen other incredible games that you are dismissing because they are indie.

You aren't broken you are blind. You are blind because you have yet to open your eyes.

I personally loved Mario Odyssey and Zelda BOTW from launch year. Bomberman and Puyo Puyo are solid additions to the library. Splatoon 2 is not as engaging as I hoped it would be (I remember playing Splatoon pre-release back in the day and while it was a lot of fun, it felt very limited and repetitive - the sequel didn't really fix that multiplayer-wise). Mario + Rabbids is solid but not really my genre. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is of course awesome, but I played the shit out of the Wii U version before so it wasn't really a novelty, though portable Mario Kart in HD is great. Other than that, to me, Nintendo didn't really have much. What I play most is second or third parties, indies. I keep eating those Picross games up. I use it to play Fortnite on the go. I picked up FIFA on a sale for when that's my wish. I have Rocket League as a back-up option since I play it regularly on Xbox.

Looking forward however there is not a single upcoming Nintendo first party I am considering buying for anywhere near a full price. For sure not the full priced ports of 6 years old Wii U games. I'd consider Mario Maker for a high price given its sheer value, but nothing else tbh. It's a cool concept for a console that launched with lovely games, right now it's in a place where it's basically kept as an indie and third party machine. And I'm personally disappointed that a year and a half in there is still no built-in Netflix, YouTube, etc.: I don't have a tablet and even if I did, having my portable gaming device with those apps would be the best and most convenient option, and I can't believe it's still all so rudimental really. It's a great console despite its limitations and the fact that Nintendo didn't publish anything interest (to my personal tastes) in like a year. For all the shit Microsoft get for their exclusives, they have Sea Of Thieves, State Of Decay 2, Forza Horizon 4 this year, all basically the best those sub-genres can offer nowadays.

You're not abnormal. I bought a Switch last year in July. Sold it this June. Some of the things you mention were factors why- first-party was a little lacking and third-party or indie games are better (and cheaper) elsewhere. My kids abandoned the Switch in favor of their iPhones and Xboxes. So it gathered dust. After the Dark Souls delay combined with a dreadful E3 showing I sold it.

The Switch had a good 2017 despite some issues but 2018 has not been as stellar. I'll revisit the platform after it gets Metroid and a price drop.

I think exclusive output has been very poor this year. I haven't got around to Octopath Traveller yet, but the last Switch game I played through was Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and that was quite a while ago. Torna this weekend, though!

Of course there has been plenty of indie games, but I play those on other platforms, so unless it's exclusive, I have no reason to go to my Switch.

weekev said:

OP I feel that you are dismissing the Indies too quickly. I implore you to pick up Celeste, Hollow Knight, Shovel knight, Overcooked and Rocket League if you don't already have them. A bunch of other people will chime in with a dozen other incredible games that you are dismissing because they are indie.

You aren't broken you are blind. You are blind because you have yet to open your eyes.

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Sometimes I wonder if some of you know you sound like cultists.

That being said it's fine to not like it that much, just like most things in life. My daily commute is a 20 minute walk, and thus have the luxury of gaming on a 4k monitor so I'll never be as enamored with handhelds. Still think it's a great device though and it shines when I bring it along when visiting friends locally or abroad. I'm perfectly fine purchasing like three games per year for it, so I don't see the point of discussing your situation OP. Put it aside and revisit later or just sell it if it doesn't meet your use case.

Mechaplum said:

Sometimes I wonder if some of you know you sound like cultists.

That being said it's fine to not like it that much, just like most things in life. My daily commute is a 20 minute walk, and thus have the luxury of gaming on a 4k monitor so I'll never be as enamored with handhelds. Still think it's a great device though and it shines when I bring it along when visiting friends locally or abroad. I'm perfectly fine purchasing like three games per year for it, so I don't see the point of discussing your situation OP. Put it aside and revisit later or just sell it if it doesn't meet your use case.

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Come and join us brother. We are all friends here.

Datajoy said:

I'm talking about big first-party Nintendo titles (or platform-exclusives generally). I would argue that we haven't got any yet this year.... Octopath maybe.

Not sure why you need to imply I am being dishonest, ill-informed, and in bad faith. We are just having a discussion about video games here, chill out.

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Not implying it. You typed what you typed.

I bought it last week to take with me on holidays and im loving it. The hardest part for me is trying not to play too much of Mario because i want to experience most of it on my tv.

Amiablepercy said:

Not implying it. You typed what you typed.

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Imagine being this offended by someone criticizing your favorite video game box. It is possible to be disappointed by the Switch's line-up this year without being dishonest and deceptive.

Again, chill out maybe? Your user name is looking like a misnomer. Other people's criticisms of a video game company's release schedule don't invalidate your fandom or invalidate you as a person.

Does the eShop not have any sort of user rating system? If it does, most of the good games should be pretty easy to find.

legend166 said:

I'm a Switch only person, and I've found Nintendo's 2018 output to be pretty disappointing. But the fact is there is an absolute mountain of quality games on the eShop to play. The thing about the indie scene is that a lot of those games should appeal to your sensibilities as a Nintendo fan because they're all very much games designed around gameplay first (which is what happens when you're operating off smaller budgets).

Go into the monthly eShop threads and look at the recommendations from people. Eventually you'll have a watch list of like 20 games and you can just wait til they're on sale and pick them up. You'll never run out of anything to play.

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Yup, that's me. I've got about 30+ games right now, which is ridiculously high after 1.5 years for any console I've ever owned, and another 15-20 titles on my eShop wishlist that I could drop at any moment. And I really have to restrain myself whenever other folks in the eShop threads gush over new games, just because I don't want to add even more to my backlog than I already have. I haven't had a problem like this in since forever, it's nuts (but awesome!).

That's why I can't identify with the people who say there's "nothing to play on the Switch" at all, because I've got way too much great stuff to play on the Switch...

Now that most of the ports are almost out of the way and the 3DS, the first party output should pick up again.
In the meanwhile, check Celeste and Into The Breach. Those are masterpieces in their genre.

Datajoy said:

Imagine being this offended by someone criticizing your favorite video game box. It is possible to be disappointed by the Switch's line-up this year without being dishonest and deceptive.

Again, chill out maybe? Your user name is looking like a misnomer. Other people's criticisms of a video game company's release schedule don't invalidate your fandom or invalidate you as a person.

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I'm chilled out. You are the one getting... upset? I don't know what to call it. I'm not offended either. Projection is fun.

A lot of great Indies are getting physical releases on Switch as well.

I wouldn't blame Switch or Nintendo for your hang ups not being able to return or re-sell digital games.

Amiablepercy said:

I'm chilled out. You are the one getting... upset? I don't know what to call it. I'm not offended either. Projection is fun.

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Personally, I'm let down by the lack of new first-party software this year. If this is dishonest / bad faith / ill-informed to you, I don't know what I can tell ya. Kirby, Mario Tennis and Octopath doesn't make for a very robust line-up imo. Thank christ Smash is coming... feels like so long since a marquee first-party game released for the system.

It's just a console, nobody is broken for not liking a console, the games are not releasing that often, many I have on steam or are available for much cheaper,
The portability aspect doesn't appeal to me as my switch never leaves the house
I just keep it to play the eventual Nintendo games I might be interested of which the next is the Pokemon RPG

EDIT: Also, I don't get ppl saying the switch is THE indie system, for many ppl like me it's not. the games play better and are cheaper on steam. Most of these great games ppl are mentioning here work very well on laptops with higher res, AA and fps

maximumzero said:

And with the huge number of digital games on the Switch eShop, trying to sift through the pile to find the gems is a real pain.

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Really?

I feel like most Switch owners could easily name 5-10 top quality indie games, no problem.

You'd almost have to go out of your way to not know the "gems" at this point, given all the exposure and recognition they've received.

I've been in the same boat as OP this year, especially as I don't enjoy online multiplayer games like Splatoon, and I still actively play 3DS. I've been playing Picross 3D round 2 for years, lol.

I've finally found that Into the Breach as the game that makes the Switch work for my life situation. It's a game where I can turn off most/all of the sound and play while my gf is watching TV or I'm in bed in the morning. Normally I can't stand to turn off the sound, but here it works.

Almost every Nintendo console gets these weird droughts, so I'm used to it by now. The Wii U was an exception, as it was born into a death spiral!

No... you are woken

To me Switch is Wii U all over again. 2-3 excellent games per year but too gimped to play anything but exclusives on it. I only game at home though so I really have no use for a handheld.

You can feel however you want, it has nothing to do with you being broken, we have threads like this all the time about x,y,z platform not doing it for them despite their love for the platform.

Wii U's first year was very rough, so maybe you need to think back through that because there was months where nothing was released at all. Crash is $30, both Doom and Skyrim is 50. (Amazon prices) Also many indie games that have come to Switch have a physical package, Dead Cells is $35, if you like RPGs, (why you haven't played Xenoblade(wii game), I don't know, but do that) Smash is coming in December and there is other games you can look forward to in just 14 and a half hours from now.

You're right that Nintendo is leaning on Wii U software, but this is a thing the industry does with new generations now, they push out uprezed ports of older games from the prior generation, especially in the first year or two of the platform. PS4 had GOW3, TLOU and Uncharted collection all out by this time in it's life too, and leaned on indie games similar to Switch now. I'm also a PC gamer, but I too got a NES when I was 4 in 1989, games are coming out faster for the Switch than any other time in Nintendo's platform history, and focusing on 1 platform going forward is going to yield not only more software, but higher quality as well.

2018 was particularly weak, because Nintendo had to delay 2 titles to next year, and those 2 titles filled out August and September this year most likely, since Nintendo is trying to put out a title every month and these are the only 2 months with no Nintendo published titles since launch of the system, which is a first for them I believe. It also means that 2019 now has 2 extra titles, so get ready for that.

Like I said at the beginning of my reply, you can feel however you want, you can justify it anyway, and you aren't wrong about those feelings, they are yours. I do think that factually, Nintendo has done a better job building a library for the Switch than for the 3DS and Wii U in their first 18 Months, but that doesn't invalidate your feelings, it just means that they are objectively putting out a better product today than they did in 2012/2013.

Neither am I. Infact it's not been touched in months. Just doesn't really appeal to me, I've tried all the games I'm interested in but eh

Normally I would agree, because there hasn't been a single first-party Nintendo game of interest this year, which is kinda crazy, and disappointing.

But, the indies have kept my Switch alive and well despite this. Celeste, Golf Story, Hollow Knight, Steamworld Dig 2, Yoku's Island Express etc etc, they're all really good games that you have to check out if you haven't already. Some of them have physical releases, but seriously, for 10-15 dollars each, I can't see how you'd regret a digital purchase.

To me the real disappointment is that instead of being the "great return of Nintendo" that we all hoped for, the Switch's era has turned out to be the pinacle of the company's anti-consumerism :

- Tons of Wii U ports at full retail price
- Play-it-safe, low efforts sequels a la Kirby Star Allies and Mario Tennis Aces
- Cheap hardware components such as the weak wifi chip which hurts a ton of consumers just for them to save a few cents
- Reluctance to fix extremely simple issues such as the bug causing the switch to heat when in idle mode and connected via Ethernet. Months later they still haven't bothered to fix it
- Insulting online service that is just them wanting to get easy money for a low effort
- 3 decades later the same level of absurd pride for their NES titles and refusal to admit that their customers just want to move to other retro systems
- and others things that I'm forgetting.

Nintendo has changed. They don't want to produce efforts anymore, they milk us whenever they can and Sakurai seems to be the last guy who is truly willing to impress the customers... smash Ultimate is the saving grace of Nintendo's 2018, all things considered.

It's not been a good year on the format for me. I bought OT which was a good game and enjoyed my time with it, but beyond picking up Rabbids (which was fab) and Golf Story, it's been underwhelming. I don't care for replaying WiiU games or indies mostly, many are out on other systems anyways so they're either old news or/and dearer on Switch. I think I may only pick up Smash next this year even though I've never been a huge fan. Hopefully 2019 is a far greater year. But as Nintendo keep their cards so close to their chest, it's difficult to get an idea of plans ahead of time to get hyped for. Maybe their direct today can help but I very much doubt it.

I love the Switch, but the lack of decent first party single player games this year has soured me immensely. I certainly bought into the "joined studios" narrative too soon. Still worth it if only for the 2017 releases.

Everytime I hear people "but ports/indies" I have PTSD WiiU flashbacks.

Datajoy said:

I am also disappointed by the lack of new games this year. Hopefully things pick up in 2019 and we start seeing more first-party output.

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Yeeeep really hoping for some really good titles next year.

I'm not enamoured with it at the moment either. I don't have much use for it as a handheld, so i'd rather buy indie/digital games on ps4/pc. The first party lineup has been pretty dire this year and that's the main reason i got one.

I love the Switch but to be honest the only announced games I'm really excited for are Metroid Prime 4 and SMTV.

Besides some fantastic indie releases the Switch hasn't been all that impressive this year in my opinion.

I agree. I don't have a Switch, as a Wii U owner it is almost pointless. I already have a backlog on Wii U so why buy another machine for 2 games ? (Mario Odyssey and Mario+Rabbids).

Switch is resting for a while after those big hits last year. I expect it to pick back up eventually. Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade 2 made for a crazy year in terms of quality first party titles. Eagerly awaiting that next wave.

No, every human being is different. I vastly prefer PS3 and PS4 over PS2 for example.

This year has been pretty slow but that's fine. The 3DS and Wii U both had fuck all for a fair while after launch, the Switch just happened to be very frontloaded with the lull coming later.

To me Breath of the Wild, ARMS, Splatoon 2, Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade 2, Hollow Knight, and Octopath have all been fantastic games so I'm happy, not to mention Pokemon and Smash right on the horizon.

The Switch is the only console which does something my PC can't do better. That's portability, and really my only interest in the hardware is via it's portable mode.

I'm still waiting for an Animal Crossing or Girls' Mode. The only 3 Nintendo 1st party titles I like are those two and Fire Emblem, but only one of these is confirmed so far. :/ On the bright side, at least Nintendo still cares about Japanese exclusives. Either first party JRPG's themselves, or by partnering with Square/other developers for actual exclusives and not 1-year exclusives. The rate at which JP games get ported to PC these days have made my PlayStations obsolete. As long as Nintendo keeps exclusive JP games though, can't really avoid getting a Switch eventually.

So to relate, I'm not exactly crazy about the Switch either but it will become essential to have one... eventually here. (Seriously Nintendo what's taking AC so long!?)