Monday, January 15, 2018

Nintendo Switch, AKA Port City


You know, I was thinking of making a list of games I'd like to see ported to the Switch from the Wii U and other game systems. Yes, I'm aware that I did say that begging for Switch ports is pretty dang dumb, but wanting and actually begging (the later of which a company that screwed over Wii U owners was actively encouraging) are two different things. The recent Nintendo Direct Mini revealed the Switch has plenty of ports coming its way and that is by no means a bad thing.

The Switch has been on a roll since launch, with over 10 million units sold and it doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The amount of ports the Switch has and will be getting has been cited as a complaint for some. I'd like to counter that argument by stating that both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were home to a plethora of ports, remasters and definitive editions earlier on in their life spans. Yes, the Switch is getting a lot of port love, but it has a major advantage that the XBO, PS4 and even the PC does not have: not only is it a home console, it is a portable one. Yeah, yeah, a laptop is also portable but it is nowhere near as convenient as the Switch is. That portability factor is what makes the gaming on the Switch and the ports all the more enticing. 

I have been wanting to get into the Dark Souls series for a some time now. My plan was to start with the first one via the PS3, but upon hearing the announcement of Dark Souls Remastered, well, I'll gladly fork over extra cash for the ability to not only get bodied at home but also while I'm up at laundromat across from my apartment. 

Hyrule Warriors was my first venture into the Dynasty Warriors style of games and I got a big kick out of it, repetitive as it was. Slaying wave after wave of foes as Impa, Midna and host of other Zelda characters that you normally don't get to play as really made that game for me. There was also a ton of content from the get go, which gave you a lot to do. I didn't stop playing Hyrule Warriors because I got bored of it. No, as usual, other games came along and I never got around to picking it back up. I didn't even purchase all of the DLC or Hyrule Warriors: Legends on the 3DS. Now that Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition is Switch bound and will include all of the content from the Wii U and 3DS versions including DLC, I'll just cop that version and call it a night. I'm itching to go out into the field using Toon Link (the GOAT Link) and Marin to to show fools what's up.

With Dark Souls Remastered heading for the
Switch, you can now die on the toilet. If you're
into that sort of thing.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was a fine, fine 2D platformer and in many ways, it one-up Donkey Kong Country Returns. It was one of the games I was wanting to see come to the Switch and lo and behold, my dream has been made reality. I got all the way up to the final boss, Lord Fredrick but died on him so many times that I stopped playing, never resuming. Yes, I'm aware that I'm a wimp and need to get gud and all that. Whatever. I would have bought a Switch port even if nothing else was added but they are giving us another Kong to play as in the form of Funky Kong, so there's that. More than that, Tropical Freeze is a wonderful game that deserved to sell much more than it did on the Wii U.

I as well as many others have said it so many times that we're beating a dead horse, but the Wii U was a flop. At over 13 million in lifetime sales, not a lot of people bought the system, meaning a wealth of people have did not play the games it had. Yet in spite of the Wii U failing, the system had some outstanding games and with some of them making the jump to the Switch, this will give them a new lease on life. The Switch is a huge success so it only makes sense to get those Wii U greats to those that didn't play them in the first place. The Switch is a such a mega hit that third parties are practically breaking down Nintendo's doors to able to make games for the thing or port games over to it. With the system being a home console as well as a portable, I fail to see how that is a bad thing. 

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