Console Debate #34 Nintendo Switch

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

Solid 8/10 for me. It has one of the greatest games ever made in BotW, but none of Nintendo's other first party output has particularly impressed me. If I based my score on exclusive games alone, it would probably limp in with a 7/10, but the portable form factor combined with the best versions of many Wii U games pushes it up to a score of 8.

If it wasn't so damn underpowered and didn't host the worst versions of many notable third party games, it would probably be a 9/10.

[rdrunner | 422]

9/10 - It has some flaws, but it's hard to ignore what is becoming one of the best gaming libraries ever seen.  I don't see it overtaking my GOAT vote (NES), but it is very quickly becoming my second favorite console.

The library is completely stocked with great games, both new and old.  My wish list on a certain eShop sale tracker website keeps growing at an alarming pace!  While I don't think I'll ever have enough free time to fully enjoy them all, I've thoroughly enjoyed what I've played so far.

Personal highlights include everything from obvious hits like Mario Kart and Tetris 99, to re-releases of rare titles like Wild Guns Reloaded, all the way down to the first ever console release of arcade Punch-Out! (Arcade Archives)

Two negative points:

1. Nintendo Switch Online does not and should not replace the Virtual Console.  It should still be possible to buy digital copies of Nintendo classics without a subscription.  Currently, I find myself stocking up on such things on my 3DS before they shut that avenue down.  If I had a Wii U, there are a few games I wouldn't mind downloading onto that as well.

2. Joy-Cons are lousy controllers.  Or at least I've heard enough warnings about their fragile nature that I refuse to use them for anything other than menu navigation.  Thankfully there are more normal controller options or I may not have ever bought the system.  Also good thing I don't mind treating it like a console instead of a handheld (zero points for portability, at least for now).

[Dr. Morbis | 2,088]

7 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

The NES version is too cheap to include the VRC2 chip of the Famicom version, so by the power of wiggly trees and backgrounds I prove you wrong.

It wasn't cheapness; it was NOA not allowing custom mappers in US games.  But you are correct: the Famicom port of the Contra arcade game is definitely better than the "NES" port...

[Sumez | 2,951]

Could people stop pretending the NES and Famicom are two different things. Your NES plays Famicom Contra just fine.  

Also, there's nothing preventing Contra from doing the same thing with a CHR-ROM based MMC mapper, they were definitely just too cheap.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Sumez

[cj_robot | 542]

1 hour ago, Sumez said:

Could people stop pretending the NES and Famicom are two different things. Your NES plays Famicom Contra just fine.  

Hmm...

Tries to insert Famicom game into NES

DOES NOT FIT?!?

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

10 hours ago, Shmup said:

Obviously these are all opined based but the library is already pretty packed without counting the upcoming releases. I think we've hit over 800 games for the system or close to. How many more games are you needing? It already has heaps of great games.

Definitely agree on the poor build quality for the joycons. I think it was a case of do we cheap out on some parts and sell it a little lower then the competitors or do we spend a bit more and price it higher and potentially risk another Wii U. 

At around 865ish at the moment

[Sumez | 2,951]

2 hours ago, cj_robot said:

Hmm...

Tries to insert Famicom game into NES

DOES NOT FIT?!?

[cj_robot | 542]

2 hours ago, Sumez said:

LOL

I mean, yes we all know what the Famicom and the NES are. Obviously the games work with an adapter (mostly), but doesn't the very fact that you need an adapter mean there is a difference?

Identical twins are still known as two separate people, right?

[T-Pac | 7,544]

7 hours ago, Sumez said:

Could people stop pretending the NES and Famicom are two different things. Your NES plays Famicom Contra just fine.  

This take deserves its own thread haha.

I consider the NES and Famicom to be parallels, but not the same - just like any other system with library or hardware distinctions by region.

I use the term “8-bit Nintendo” when referencing the Famicom, NTSC / PAL NES, Samurai, Dendy, etc. simultaneously. Otherwise I think it’s worth specifying.

-CasualCart
 

[Tanooki | 4,933]

7 hours ago, cj_robot said:

Hmm...

Tries to insert Famicom game into NES

DOES NOT FIT?!?

My old school honeybee smiles and says bullshit.

[Tanooki | 4,933]

2 hours ago, cj_robot said:

LOL

I mean, yes we all know what the Famicom and the NES are. Obviously the games work with an adapter (mostly), but doesn't the very fact that you need an adapter mean there is a difference?

Identical twins are still known as two separate people, right?

Nope, not in the slightest.  That's like saying the Neo Geo arcade and Neo geo console are entirely different systems too, because an adapter would be needed.  Both of them just got re-pinned so they could control their own space and force people to pay various rates to various markets.  Just like Neo Geo MVS/AES the NES/FC games are in many cases identical data, same chips even, just slapped on a board with fewer/more pins...that's it.  Chock it up to not being different, but being a security and control method, that's it.

 

...and I agree with that post, this needs to be with this post, the others, moved into its own thread for us to melt down over discussing.

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

22 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Gotta extrapolate.  We'll get:  Breath of the Wild 2, 1-3 other random Zeldas (Cadence 2?), Prime 4 (probably), Dread, Trilogy (maybe), 1-3 more mediocre Mario sports games, 2-5 more other Mario games (fuck knows what), some crappy Star Fox game probably, 20-30 more Pokemon games, Bayonetta 3, 1-2 other Platinum titles, Mega Ten 5, Splatoon 3, probably another Animal Crossing and/or another Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, whatever the Odyssey team is working on, Project Unwieldy Triangle Name, No More Heroes III, Rune Factory 5, some bullshit game that Level 5 wastes their time on, Monster Hunter Stories 2, whatever those new Resident Evil games are, a Monster Hunter Rise asset recycle, The Great Ace Attorney, and a million and a half JRPGs, and two and a half million ports.

Yup, and when I see some of those games the rating will most definitely go up. There are lots of games out there and I'm enjoying Tony Hawk quite a bit at the moment but just waiting on a few more marquee 1st party titles. Bayo 3, BotW 2, and Prime 4 are all highly anticipated. I wouldn't be surprised to see another release from the DK series which would be awesome. There are definitely more than enough games to play at the moment and I've been playing my Switch significantly more lately as a result. 

As for the hardware, I've had issues with the joycon, game slot, and dock connections. Pretty annoying at times for something with essentially no wear and tear. 

[G-type | 2,481]

The joy-cons keep from being a 10... but its still a solid 9

[Webhead123 | 675]

Not without its own flaws and limitations resulting from its very specific design, the Switch is nonetheless a fantastic little gaming machine and certainly deserving of high marks. 9/10