Octopus Overlords

Thank you everyone for the suggestions.

wonderpug hooked me up on the main XC2 game...thank you sir!

Will check out the expansion as well.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:48 pm

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 10:06 pm Stop enticing me.

Put it this way. In two days on Switch, I’ve already gotten further into the original Baldurs Gate than I did in three previous attempts (on PC and iPad), primarily due to the streamlined control scheme.

I couldn't agree with this more. I think maybe the biggest improvement is the ability to use the analog sticks in "drive mode" to move your party around. A huge time saver somehow over the old point and click, probably because it avoids all the old path finding problems these games were plagued by. I find it's especially advantageous when exploring outside sections of the world map.

I'm now almost finished with Chapter 3 and cruising. I hit an issue though:

I'm heading to Orlando for a week next week and I'm going to steal one of my kids Switches. I'm really tempted to grab Baldur's Gate for it...

I ended up having to replace my Joycons today. The kids haven't exactly been gentle with them, so the left stick had a permanent slight drift to the left. It didn't make games entirely non-playable, just extremely annoying.

They still get to play with the drifting controllers, and the new colored ones are now only for dad. They're young...they can adjust.

You should have gone Pro just to really rub in their second-class status.

Was reading an article this morning about Nintendo repairing drifting JoyCons.

Anyone tried going through that process? Did they replace/repair them?

Captain Caveman did. He said it took about 2 - 3 weeks.

I did as well. Fairly quick and easy process, and IIRC they paid for shipping both ways. One joy con came back needing recalibrating, but other than that things seem fixed.

O.K. here is the silly question of the day: How long does it take to go through the initial set up of the switch? From unboxing to playing?

I have looked through set up guides but they never estimates time.

I am not a console person - had a Wii years ago for the wii fit, but never used it much because the wife and I got more exercise on our own than with the wii.

My wife has finally relented on letting us (my son and I) get a switch (personally, I think she will have some fun with mariokart) - but my son is also willing to put some of his own money towards the purchase.

The wife and I want to surprise him as a Santa gift (he is 8) with getting our "bonus room" all set with tv (there is not one there now) and rearrange furniture. This, obviously, needs to happen after he goes to bed. I just want to be prepared for how long I will need to go through the set up steps so it is a nice surprise for him on Christmas morning.

Also, can I just skip the online account options? - we are not planning on having the online account.

O.K. Thanks everyone.

Nonny

Not long. You'll want to at least connect it to wifi even if you don't set your son up with a Nintendo account, so the console can update itself. The console update only takes a couple of minutes.

So it's pretty much:
-unbox
-attach dock HDMI cable to TV, dock power to power
-place Switch in dock
-Sign into your wifi and let the Switch update
-Play

IIRC the Joy-Con setup was super-simple, might have even just been 'attach them to the unit and they auto-pair'.

I would recommend setting your own Nintendo account up, and signing up for Switch Online. That will back up all your save game data automatically in case the Switch ever dies, and gets you Tetris 99 and the NES/SNES games. Well worth the $20/year, IMO. And if you want your son's stuff backed up, the family plan isn't much more expensive. Totally optional, but worth it to me.

Thanks! It looked a lot more involved with selecting this-and-that and the orienting of joycons, like with a new gps device.

Well, the hard part will be not "testing" it too much before the kid gets to use it.

I mean, at minimum you'll have to make sure that Breath of the Wild works. By testing every dungeon.

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Thu Nov 21, 2019 1:58 pm I mean, at minimum you'll have to make sure that Breath of the Wild works. By testing every dungeon.

Beat me to it. I was going to say 100 hours minimum.

I'm such a sucker for the ports of these old D&D games on Switch.

Happy to report that other than a few clumsy UI issues, Neverwinter Nights works great. Just finished the prison level and am on to the Beggar's Nest. It's been years since I've played this, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

Me, too. I haven't tried out NWN yet, but I finished BG1 and am planning to wrap up the Dragonspear expansion on my cross country flight to FL next week. I think I'm actually enjoying these old games more now than I did when I first played them. After BG2, I'm going to hit Icewind Dale.

I'm surprised to find myself enjoying NWN quite a bit more than the BG games. The simplicity of just managing a single character rather than an entire party and having a more concise story (I always got kinda lost in BG's sprawling quests) is really hitting the spot right now. Sure, it's kinda janky (always was), but I'm absolutely loving it.

Helps that the nostalgia factor for NWN is off the charts with me. It's one of the first games I ever played co-op, and it was our LAN party go-to every weekend for the better part of a year. Everyone lugging in their towers and huge CRT monitors, then spending as much time trying to configure the network as we did actually playing the game.

Ah, memories...

I'm getting a switch for Christmas, Yay me!

So, any absolute must haves or games that are often overlooked but are definitely worth it?

I'm already eyeing the old-school D&D games and puzzle quest for sure.

I'll also be using it almost exclusively as a handheld.

Depends on if you like 2D Mario or 3D Mario.

EzeKieL wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:49 pm I'm getting a switch for Christmas, Yay me!

So, any absolute must haves or games that are often overlooked but are definitely worth it?

I'm already eyeing the old-school D&D games and puzzle quest for sure.

I'll also be using it almost exclusively as a handheld.

Bayonetta if you are into action games.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

BotW, of course. Mario Kart if you don't already have it on WiiU.

Slay the Spire.

Diablo III. Torchlight 2.

Wow, Nintendo just stealth-dropped The Talos Principle. This is IMO one of the most underrated games of the 2010s. Go forth and buy it immediately, especially if you missed out on the PC release.

Speaking from somebody who has only played the PC version: Do what he said. Get it.

Blackhawk wrote:Speaking from somebody who has only played the PC version: Do what he said. Get it.

I concur with this sentiment.

I don't think I ever heard of it, but it's on GamePass so I supposed I'll check it out there. I checked the thread and it didn't look remotely familiar. Huh.

Also, that trailer is channeling 'Rains of Castamere.'

I should say that you should avoid investigating the game at all beyond the trailer for the best experience, IMO. The less you know, the better.

Here's the soundtrack for further entertainment in the meantime... (Don't read the track names. )

In other news, Gris and Celeste are both 50% off, as well as some other good deals.

Has anyone tried Ring Fit Adventure? Had a co-worker recommend it this week, and I’ll admit it looks like an interesting way to get both me and the kids off the couch.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2020 11:52 am Has anyone tried Ring Fit Adventure? Had a co-worker recommend it this week, and I’ll admit it looks like an interesting way to get both me and the kids off the couch.

I bought it for my daughter. It's cool for what it is, and way better (IMO) than Wii Fit was, but I'll admit that her interest hasn't been as high as I'd hoped.

I’ll admit that it’s probably more for me than for the kids. I need a nudge to start doing something, and this looks like it could help.

Skinypupy wrote:I’ll admit that it’s probably more for me than for the kids. I need a nudge to start doing something, and this looks like it could help.

Very well could. It's a neat concept and the RPG elements are neat.

So Animal Crossing: New Horizons comes out in the next week. I have three ladies in the house, we're likely to be quarantined by then, and we only have the 1 original Switch console. This seems like a recipe for disaster.

Does anyone have any experience with the Switch Lite? Good option? We don't have 3 TVs, so they would mostly be playing handheld anyway.

FYI I’m 62% sure this Animal Crossing allows 4 players at once on a single Switch.

wonderpug wrote: ↑Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:49 pm FYI I’m 62% sure this Animal Crossing allows 4 players at once on a single Switch.

Thanks - I finally found a review that mentions this part of the game. It's...not great. IMO, it actually stinks.

A remake of Panzer Dragoon wasn't supposed to come out until later this year.
It's apparently dropping today.

That's a nice surprise.

There are no Switch consoles available anywhere.

stessier wrote:There are no Switch consoles available anywhere.

I've got one!

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 10:43 am

stessier wrote:There are no Switch consoles available anywhere.

I've got one!

I should clarify that there are no new consoles for sale at the standard price anywhere.

GameStop has a bunch of Turquoise Lights in Denver for store pickup.

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 10:46 am GameStop has a bunch of Turquoise Lights in Denver for store pickup.

Thanks. Lites are actually pretty easy to get. The problem is Animal Crossing gets locked to the device and they all want the option to play on the big screen when it is available. Which means they are going to have to wait (likely) months for the systems to be restocked.