Post by Kirkwood Chocolate on Jan 18, 2018 11:04:32 GMT -5
Thread Theme: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwggIVDugzo
It seems so long since the days of people seeing Nintendo as a giant that ruled the gaming industry and laid the foundations other companies built themselves on. The Glory of Nintendo Era spanning 1985-2002 seemed a thing of the past, the company that made Super Mario, Metroid, Pokemon, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, and Zelda was now being viewed more and more as a company catering for children in the modern era; lowered sales lead to lost market value as the years went by. Nintendo seemed to be a shell of its former self, longtimes fans having abandoned the company and newer gamers uninterested in their products. Forced on their heels, Nintendo had to put their hopes in one last platform to save the company's reputation. This console has shown that perhaps Nintendo can still be a dominant and pioneering force in the game industry.
Now granted I understand that some people might prefer one specific platform over another, or may be sticklers for pc gaming or one specific game series or genre. This is fine and all of that is subjective, but I'd like to make here the argument that from a design perspective, the Nintendo Switch is the greatest console ever made. In less than a year, it's become the fastest selling game console in the United States, ever. And this is coming from someone who originally thought the console was a god awful idea, swore he'd never get one and made fun of people who did. The product itself has managed to completely change my mind, make pc gaming nearly irrelevant to me and made me cut down on gaming on any other platforms significantly. And this all boils down to the core concept of what a Nintendo Switch is, and why now I want every console to be just like it. In a year where the PS4 Pro, Xbox One, iPhone X, Samsung S8, Amazon Alexa and Google Home were all released, the Nintendo Switch was Time's Gadget of the Year.
After the announcement of Metroid Prime 4 and Shin Megami Tensei V, I knew I'd eventually buy this platform even if I thought the Nintendo Switch itself was a terrible idea. I think one trailer specifically turned me over, because it was pretty much tugging hard at heartstrings and reminding me all too much of spending entire summers beating and rebeating Super Mario 64.
Even though I've long been a person who's stated that Zelda is one of the most overrated series of all-time, I felt I at least wanted to give Breath of the Wild a try. I went in with no expectations besides possibly another overrated Zelda: what I got was a game that completely redefined the series by both going back the origins of the first Legend of Zelda for NES, as well as learning from many of the game design principles of the modern era in the industry while incorporating some ideas of Nintendo's own in perhaps the greatest physics engine in any video game ever made. I don't think any other Zelda game has ever come close to being what Breath of the Wild is, I never want to play an old Zelda game again. Breath of the Wild is a game that sets a point in the timeline of video games from before it existed, to after it inevitably influenced every open world made after it. There's a very strong case to be made that Breath of the Wild is the best open world game ever made, as well as simply the best game ever made to date.
I ended up buying a used Nintendo Switch for cheap with an account with digital versions of Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8. One of the JoyCons was broken and had to be sent in for repairs. Over the next few weeks, I would buy an extra pair of Joy-Cons, extra grips and chargers for the controllers, screen protectors, a usb lan adapter, a 200gb sd card. If you want to get the most bang for your buck out of the Nintendo Switch, you will have to buy a ton of accessories for it. Personally, I think I've spent at least $400 so far JUST on Switch accessories or controllers.
Alternative Thread Themes:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTfI8pjSSsc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIPR4bmzUwA
One accessory I've decided to buy perfectly encapsulates why this is the greatest game console ever made.
I'd like you to stop and imagine lying in bed, body completely spread out, lying any way you want, arms far apart, and still being able to play a full console game in HD while this boss battle theme music plays. My friends, you may believe that you understand the meaning of comfort. The fact of the matter is, you don't: I do. And the reason I do is because of the Nintendo Switch: the console that you can truly play anywhere at all!
The fact that it's so incredibly seamless and smooth to transition a game from tv to handheld is remarkable when you see it in person. Even months after owning the console, there are still moments where I can't believe I'm playing a home console game that I was recently playing at home on a big tv with surround sound, and now I might be playing it underground on the train, or in my car at work on break, or at someone elses' house, or in bed. I've heard of people playing the Switch in bed while their significant other watches reality tv or something. Some people I know are obsessed with bragging about playing the Switch while on the toilet. I've played it while smoking a spliff on my front lawn, and the fact that you can use detached joycons makes it even easier to roam the map with my left hand while smoking a spliff with my right. As I've said, you can lie in bed completely normally, and even completely controlling the game with detached Joycons under the blankets and bedsheets feels completely natural. This is why I decided to get a bed mount that can easily be attached or removed if I ever feel like just lying down and getting comfy with a game for hours, probably to the point of falling asleep with Joycons at my side. I've even done things like watch tv or youtube on my tv while playing the switch in my hands. The Switch has been marketed masterfully, and this is partially due to the new company direction of President Tatsumi Kimishima appointed in 2015 after the passing of President Iwata.
I've introduced the system to everyone I know and no one has yet to tell me they thought it was an uncomfortably platform to use. The fact that I can carry such a library of high quality games all at once in a small tablet is still remarkable to me. The Switch completely blows gaming on any other portable platform out of the water, and can compete with the PS4 and Xbox One as a home console. The controllers themselves are easily the most innovative design, allowing each individual JoyCon side to be used as one controller. A full JoyCon pair offers full control for games that require it, but games like Tetris, Mario or Sonic Mania can easily be played in two player by splitting a pair apart. This means in handheld mode, you're always carrying two controllers, even though the console seems like one device.
Any platform, no matter how comfy, has to be held together by it's software. And the Nintendo Switch might be gearing up to having possibly the best exclusive library of this generation. With forgotten Wii U titles like Tropical Dong and Bayonetta 2 which were literally 10/10 titles trapped on a dead system getting ported to the new booming hybrid console, Metroid Prime 4, Fire Emblem and an open world Pokemon game on the horizon, I'm more excited for the future of the Switch than any other platform.
Goddamn I can't wait to play Dark Souls, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Dong and Bayonetta 2 in bed, just for those comfy ass soundtracks.
Closing Theme: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFkYEzMOfrM
All in all, my gaming habits have changed significantly JUST because of the Switch. And maybe the triple whammy of Mario Odyssey, Zelda: BotW and Xenoblade 2 had something to do with it, but I have this creeping feeling that the Switch's unprecedented success might be followed by it eventually becoming the best selling video game console of all-time. Nintendo lost sight of who they were, the days of them dominating the industry as a giant who set the standard seemed like a thing of the past. For once, it appears like a glimmer of the old Nintendo has returned. Losing direction as a company and touch with their consumers during the Wii era caused them to gain casual purchases from people who quickly moved on to smartphones when the iPhone was released at the price of losing some of their most devoted fans from the 90s and 00s. This alienation of fans hurt the company terribly during the Wii U era, as well as a awfully designed console that didn't know what it is. Breath of the Wild is almost an allegory for Nintendo itself: a beautiful kingdom that lost its way and was corrupted by the evil Calamity Station. Trapped in a gaming era where Nintendo was absentee, evil reigned supreme and microtransactions and preinstalled DLC was the norm, Nintendo fans, like Princess Zelda herself, fought for years to keep the spirit of true gaming alive. President Kimishima is almost like Link himself, carrying the dreams of late President Satoru Iwata through the Master Switch, the only console that can truly banish the evil that's corrupted the video game industry.
Once again, Nintendo has returned to being the company that sets the industry standards either in hardware innovation, gameplay design and marketing to their consumers. For now at least, it seems as if the glory of Nintendo has finally begun to return.
It seems so long since the days of people seeing Nintendo as a giant that ruled the gaming industry and laid the foundations other companies built themselves on. The Glory of Nintendo Era spanning 1985-2002 seemed a thing of the past, the company that made Super Mario, Metroid, Pokemon, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, and Zelda was now being viewed more and more as a company catering for children in the modern era; lowered sales lead to lost market value as the years went by. Nintendo seemed to be a shell of its former self, longtimes fans having abandoned the company and newer gamers uninterested in their products. Forced on their heels, Nintendo had to put their hopes in one last platform to save the company's reputation. This console has shown that perhaps Nintendo can still be a dominant and pioneering force in the game industry.
Now granted I understand that some people might prefer one specific platform over another, or may be sticklers for pc gaming or one specific game series or genre. This is fine and all of that is subjective, but I'd like to make here the argument that from a design perspective, the Nintendo Switch is the greatest console ever made. In less than a year, it's become the fastest selling game console in the United States, ever. And this is coming from someone who originally thought the console was a god awful idea, swore he'd never get one and made fun of people who did. The product itself has managed to completely change my mind, make pc gaming nearly irrelevant to me and made me cut down on gaming on any other platforms significantly. And this all boils down to the core concept of what a Nintendo Switch is, and why now I want every console to be just like it. In a year where the PS4 Pro, Xbox One, iPhone X, Samsung S8, Amazon Alexa and Google Home were all released, the Nintendo Switch was Time's Gadget of the Year.
After the announcement of Metroid Prime 4 and Shin Megami Tensei V, I knew I'd eventually buy this platform even if I thought the Nintendo Switch itself was a terrible idea. I think one trailer specifically turned me over, because it was pretty much tugging hard at heartstrings and reminding me all too much of spending entire summers beating and rebeating Super Mario 64.
Even though I've long been a person who's stated that Zelda is one of the most overrated series of all-time, I felt I at least wanted to give Breath of the Wild a try. I went in with no expectations besides possibly another overrated Zelda: what I got was a game that completely redefined the series by both going back the origins of the first Legend of Zelda for NES, as well as learning from many of the game design principles of the modern era in the industry while incorporating some ideas of Nintendo's own in perhaps the greatest physics engine in any video game ever made. I don't think any other Zelda game has ever come close to being what Breath of the Wild is, I never want to play an old Zelda game again. Breath of the Wild is a game that sets a point in the timeline of video games from before it existed, to after it inevitably influenced every open world made after it. There's a very strong case to be made that Breath of the Wild is the best open world game ever made, as well as simply the best game ever made to date.
I ended up buying a used Nintendo Switch for cheap with an account with digital versions of Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8. One of the JoyCons was broken and had to be sent in for repairs. Over the next few weeks, I would buy an extra pair of Joy-Cons, extra grips and chargers for the controllers, screen protectors, a usb lan adapter, a 200gb sd card. If you want to get the most bang for your buck out of the Nintendo Switch, you will have to buy a ton of accessories for it. Personally, I think I've spent at least $400 so far JUST on Switch accessories or controllers.
Alternative Thread Themes:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTfI8pjSSsc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIPR4bmzUwA
One accessory I've decided to buy perfectly encapsulates why this is the greatest game console ever made.
I'd like you to stop and imagine lying in bed, body completely spread out, lying any way you want, arms far apart, and still being able to play a full console game in HD while this boss battle theme music plays. My friends, you may believe that you understand the meaning of comfort. The fact of the matter is, you don't: I do. And the reason I do is because of the Nintendo Switch: the console that you can truly play anywhere at all!
The fact that it's so incredibly seamless and smooth to transition a game from tv to handheld is remarkable when you see it in person. Even months after owning the console, there are still moments where I can't believe I'm playing a home console game that I was recently playing at home on a big tv with surround sound, and now I might be playing it underground on the train, or in my car at work on break, or at someone elses' house, or in bed. I've heard of people playing the Switch in bed while their significant other watches reality tv or something. Some people I know are obsessed with bragging about playing the Switch while on the toilet. I've played it while smoking a spliff on my front lawn, and the fact that you can use detached joycons makes it even easier to roam the map with my left hand while smoking a spliff with my right. As I've said, you can lie in bed completely normally, and even completely controlling the game with detached Joycons under the blankets and bedsheets feels completely natural. This is why I decided to get a bed mount that can easily be attached or removed if I ever feel like just lying down and getting comfy with a game for hours, probably to the point of falling asleep with Joycons at my side. I've even done things like watch tv or youtube on my tv while playing the switch in my hands. The Switch has been marketed masterfully, and this is partially due to the new company direction of President Tatsumi Kimishima appointed in 2015 after the passing of President Iwata.
I've introduced the system to everyone I know and no one has yet to tell me they thought it was an uncomfortably platform to use. The fact that I can carry such a library of high quality games all at once in a small tablet is still remarkable to me. The Switch completely blows gaming on any other portable platform out of the water, and can compete with the PS4 and Xbox One as a home console. The controllers themselves are easily the most innovative design, allowing each individual JoyCon side to be used as one controller. A full JoyCon pair offers full control for games that require it, but games like Tetris, Mario or Sonic Mania can easily be played in two player by splitting a pair apart. This means in handheld mode, you're always carrying two controllers, even though the console seems like one device.
Any platform, no matter how comfy, has to be held together by it's software. And the Nintendo Switch might be gearing up to having possibly the best exclusive library of this generation. With forgotten Wii U titles like Tropical Dong and Bayonetta 2 which were literally 10/10 titles trapped on a dead system getting ported to the new booming hybrid console, Metroid Prime 4, Fire Emblem and an open world Pokemon game on the horizon, I'm more excited for the future of the Switch than any other platform.
Goddamn I can't wait to play Dark Souls, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Dong and Bayonetta 2 in bed, just for those comfy ass soundtracks.
Closing Theme: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFkYEzMOfrM
All in all, my gaming habits have changed significantly JUST because of the Switch. And maybe the triple whammy of Mario Odyssey, Zelda: BotW and Xenoblade 2 had something to do with it, but I have this creeping feeling that the Switch's unprecedented success might be followed by it eventually becoming the best selling video game console of all-time. Nintendo lost sight of who they were, the days of them dominating the industry as a giant who set the standard seemed like a thing of the past. For once, it appears like a glimmer of the old Nintendo has returned. Losing direction as a company and touch with their consumers during the Wii era caused them to gain casual purchases from people who quickly moved on to smartphones when the iPhone was released at the price of losing some of their most devoted fans from the 90s and 00s. This alienation of fans hurt the company terribly during the Wii U era, as well as a awfully designed console that didn't know what it is. Breath of the Wild is almost an allegory for Nintendo itself: a beautiful kingdom that lost its way and was corrupted by the evil Calamity Station. Trapped in a gaming era where Nintendo was absentee, evil reigned supreme and microtransactions and preinstalled DLC was the norm, Nintendo fans, like Princess Zelda herself, fought for years to keep the spirit of true gaming alive. President Kimishima is almost like Link himself, carrying the dreams of late President Satoru Iwata through the Master Switch, the only console that can truly banish the evil that's corrupted the video game industry.
Once again, Nintendo has returned to being the company that sets the industry standards either in hardware innovation, gameplay design and marketing to their consumers. For now at least, it seems as if the glory of Nintendo has finally begun to return.
