Board 8 > Icehawk (FORMER NINTENDO HATER) Ranks all the Switch games he has played

(+) Yeah! (+)

Jakyl25 posted...

Icehawk posted...

Honestly, I think they should have required more moons before continuing in a lot of the levels too, because once I left, I never really felt motivation to go back and continue to collect.

Icehawk posted...

once I got to the point where I really needed hints to find more moons, it definitely kills the pace, and makes exploring less fun.

This combination of criticisms seems odd to me

You wish they made the part of the game that was less fun for you...more mandatory?

If more were required, I would have had a reason to do it, so at that point, I think I would have been more into it. Aimlessly exploring for moons just to up my number of moons without purpose was less exciting to me.
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And I'll check my moon total later, couldn't tell you off hand!
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I think I was down to the last 20 or so moons when i kinda stopped playing

the jump ropes killed my motivation, man.
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Did you unlock the extra levels?
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X_Dante_X posted...

I think I was down to the last 20 or so moons when i kinda stopped playing

the jump ropes killed my motivation, man.

The trick with the scooter worked really well
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I pwned the jump rope challenge.

I wasn't aware there were extra levels >_>. Itd be tough to jump back in after months to get there.
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neonreaper posted...

I gave up on Rabbids after the first act. I guess the fights werent that fun. Id rank it below Band of Bugs

I just remembered, we went head to head in that game once. Lol
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Icehawk posted...

I pwned the jump rope challenge.

I wasn't aware there were extra levels >_>. Itd be tough to jump back in after months to get there.

I guess if you dont even NOTICE that there are extra levels to unlock by collecting more moons after the final boss, you would feel like it was pointless!
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Elite tier coming sooon
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Jakyl25 posted...

The bonus boss fights in the Mushroom Kingdom after the first time through should satisfy your craving for more difficult bosses

Except they are just the same boss fight with more frustration
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Icehawk posted...

ctes MY DUDE.

Good to see you too!

And hey, a game I played!

It's a shame you never got to the bonus levels in Odyssey. I think with Mario games today they kinda have to make it easy to get through the mandatory stuff so kids can easily jump into without turning back to their parents' smartphones. They do however also make fantastic bonus content for the less casual fans. Added to that, while it's easy to play through it, the atmosphere of each level prevents the difficulty, or lack there of, from being a problem. Each transformation is fantastic and most levels are very fun to explore.

I think my one problem with the game is how it kinda penalties you for exploring a level instantly. A lot of power moons become accessible out of nowhere when they could have just as well been available right away. This isn't even blaming the ones coming from glowing rocks because that's at least an explanation ans the map shows those anyway, but quite often you'll have timer challenges or whatever appearing out of nowhere.
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I thought Icehawk was just a myth

anyway I want to buy a Switch so bad
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Updating once I get home!!
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6. Golf Story
When I was young, two of my favorite games of all time were Mario Golf and Mario Tennis for the GBA. I loved the arcade sports gameplay, mixed with going from the bottom to the top in a story mode, and some light RPG elements. I played the heck out of both of those games, and my disappointment was immense when I bought the N64 games and realized the same elements weren't there. (Not quite as disappointing as when I realized what Pokemon Stadium actually was, but thats a different story!)

So Golf Story, weirdly, was a bit of a system seller for me. Outside of Zelda, it was definitely the game I wanted most at launch. I've been dying for a GBA Mario Golf game for a long time. And it does not disappoint.

The core gameplay is about what you would hope for and expect. A lot like that old Mario Golf, but with a bit more depth. You use a simple meter to gauge the accuracy and power of your shot. You can also adjust your loft and the bend of your shot when worried about obstacles, or the wind. This is also useful when trying to make your ball go further after the bounce, or when trying to limit how far it goes once it lands. It is very easy to pick up and make some great shots, but as the courses get more difficult, you have to start using every element to make accurate shots. They do a very good job at easing you through this progression.

The game is a mix of random challenges, match play, and tournaments. All of these help you get money and experience, which you use to buy better clubs, and to improve your character. Probably the main flaw in Golf Story is that there are only 3 tournaments to take part in though. This is the most exciting part of these games, as you play and see how you are stacking up against everyone else. In the last tournament of the game, I had to nail a medium range putt with a wicked slope to clinch victory, and that was beyond intense. You don't get enough of these moments unfortunately. Match Play (where you go head to head with one other golfer) is pretty fun, but several of those stick you with your coach as a partner, and he can barely hit the ball 20 yards. I think they did this for comedic value and to add challenge, but it probably would have been better to just make the opponents more skilled instead.

Probably the most surprising part about Golf Story is that... the story is actually pretty good! It's really charming and kind of funny. There is lots of good dialogue, and several weird characters that I still remember, which is more than you would expect from a golf game for sure. The courses are also pretty well made, with 8 unique settings, from your standard golf course, to one that basically doubles as a graveyard.

Look, this is a golf game, it probably won't be for anyone, but if you have any interest whatsoever, pick this game up!
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5. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
HERE WE GO, HERES SOME CONTROVERSY.

First off, if you love to explore in video games, I can't think of a game that does it better. You get this huge sprawling world map, and you can just point to something that looks interesting on it and say "hey, I'm gonna go there", and check it out. If you do this, you will no doubt come across countless beautiful areas. I can't remember a game where I just wanted to stop and look around as often as I did here. There is such a wide array of landscapes, and they are colorful, and full of life. The game never explicitly tells you that you MUST go somewhere next, so you have a huge sense of freedom, which gives you that extra sense of wonder when you happen to stumble upon something you didn't expect.

There are plenty of great rewards for exploring too besides just sights. There is the occasional loot to pick up, towers that give you much needed fast travel points, and shrines, which are mini challenges that give you the ability to upgrade your character once you complete enough of them. They vary between puzzles and combats, and in many ways, are almost like replacement mini-dungeons. While you do have a few "main dungeons" here, they do not have nearly the scope of your average Zelda game. Shrines are generally as well done as you would expect. They are filled with clever and challenging puzzles. The combat ones are OK (I'm not a huge fan of Zelda combat, it's fine).

I constantly found myself conflicted about this. The new system kind of works well with the fact that the world map is so freaking huge, they NEEDED stuff in there that would reward you for exploration, but personally, I like puzzles and dungeons over raw exploration, so I missed the usual Zelda dynamic in the end. But it still works well in the end for what it is. My one gripe is that certain shrines are clearly much more involved and difficult than others, but the reward remains the same no matter what. My favorite example is an island way out of the way on the world map. I saw this and thought, "HMMM, wonder whats there!" and left for it. When you reach the island, you lose all your equipment, and have to activate a few different areas, and pick up stuff to defend yourself as you go. I died once doing this, which gets you sent way back to where you sailed from. It is also a pretty time consuming process, 3-4 times the length of the usual shrine that you encounter. My reward was the same as any other shrine. Ridiculous.

In the end, the main things keeping this game from being my favorite Switch game, and maybe one of my favorite games ever, were all the new elements. There are survival aspects, like having to have the right equipment for cold areas or super hot areas. If you don't go to the main town and get the right equipment before getting to areas like this, it is a constant annoyance. This kind of cramps some of the freedom and exploration elements of the game. Most annoying was weapon durability though. Your weapons break, and a lot of them break really freaking fast. It drove me NUTS when I would acquire several decent weapons, just to watch them break in one tough fight. The system might have worked if so many didn't break SO FAST. I just didn't see the value to this at alll, and it was a constant stress/annoyance for me. You can get an unbreakable sword near the end of the game, but at that point, it was too late.

(continued)
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Also, the story has some beautiful and cool moments, but the main way you get context is by finding flashback spots on the map. I thought this was a missed opportunity, as a lot of these flashbacks would have had way more impact if they were done at the right point in the story. A few of the flashbacks (I'm thinking of the water world) are done this way, and they are super meaningful. The rest of them lacked that same meaning, because I just saw them randomly.

In summary, it's really just a few design decisions that held this game back from maybe being one of my top 5-10 ever. This really bums me out, because it's just such a wonderful experience in so many ways, but there are just one too many things that frustrated me. I understand that some people probably enjoyed the survival elements, but it just wasn't for me. Still a great game, and obviously, one of the Switch exclusives that you pretty much have to buy.
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I feel like early weapons breaking was awesome. You e been dead for a while and the world decayed. Its survival. But after like 10-20 hours its just too easy to get good weapons so I found myself just sorta juggling good weapons and it was no longer a strong point for the game.
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interesting thoughts on Breath of the Wild

also Golf Story sounds awesome. how does the gameplay compare to something like Hot Shots Golf?
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Weapon durability is bad
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MariaTaylor posted...

interesting thoughts on Breath of the Wild

also Golf Story sounds awesome. how does the gameplay compare to something like Hot Shots Golf?

Just watched some youtube, it looks pretty similar. The courses are just a lot crazier. They aren't anything close to realistic (for example, on one course with a lot of water, you can bounce the ball off the water in certain spots where giant fish hang out >_>)
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neonreaper posted...

I feel like early weapons breaking was awesome. You e been dead for a while and the world decayed. Its survival. But after like 10-20 hours its just too easy to get good weapons so I found myself just sorta juggling good weapons and it was no longer a strong point for the game.

Even when I had good weapons, certain fights still dominated my weapons. Maybe the weapons I had weren't as good as I thought, but one tough fight would wreck my inventory.
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Icehawk posted...

neonreaper posted...

I feel like early weapons breaking was awesome. You e been dead for a while and the world decayed. Its survival. But after like 10-20 hours its just too easy to get good weapons so I found myself just sorta juggling good weapons and it was no longer a strong point for the game.

Even when I had good weapons, certain fights still dominated my weapons. Maybe the weapons I had weren't as good as I thought, but one tough fight would wreck my inventory.

You definitely did not have good weapons then.

I actually had the opposite problem, where my inventory was overstocked with over powerful weapons and like neon I thought things got really easy pretty early. The difficulty curve is weird, where I actually had a much easier time after the first quarter of the game or so. It gets pretty easy to game the system and have way too many health items, crazy good weapons, etc.

I thought it was a ton of fun still, but I agree that some of the new elements were not integrated as well as they could be.
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Now imagine making a post like that a few days after the game came out
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I remember that. Poor foolmo was such a victim, it was so sad.
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foolm0r0n posted...

Now imagine making a post like that a few days after the game came out

I wish I was there. I would have had your back ;_;
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Typically I'd get more weapons for killing a Lynel than I'd spend killing it.

Icehawk posted...

foolm0r0n posted...

Now imagine making a post like that a few days after the game came out

I wish I was there. I would have had your back ;_;

Well, you actually posted your thoughts in an intelligent and well thought out manor, unlike foolmo.
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Suprak the Stud posted...

You definitely did not have good weapons then.

No, there are fights that will deplete an arsenal of even the strongest weapons. The hardest combat shrine which you find in the castle for example. You can play it perfectly but if you don't have enough high damage high durability weapons, you will be mathematically unable to defeat the boss. I used all 3 big elemental weapons that you find there and several of the big swords you get from the enemies there. There is literally a maximum amount of damage you can do due to inventory limits, and that boss comes pretty close.
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Tokoyami posted...

Weapon durability is great

Loved everything about the weapon system, with the sole exception of too few inventory slots, unless you know where to find Hestu after your first encounter with him.

He really should have been at every stable like Beedle
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foolm0r0n posted...

Suprak the Stud posted...

You definitely did not have good weapons then.

No, there are fights that will deplete an arsenal of even the strongest weapons. The hardest combat shrine which you find in the castle for example. You can play it perfectly but if you don't have enough high damage high durability weapons, you will be mathematically unable to defeat the boss. I used all 3 big elemental weapons that you find there and several of the big swords you get from the enemies there. There is literally a maximum amount of damage you can do due to inventory limits, and that boss comes pretty close.

You have infinite bombs
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Jakyl25 posted...

Tokoyami posted...

Weapon durability is bad

Loved everything about the weapon system, with the sole exception of too few inventory slots, unless you know where to find Hestu after your first encounter with him.

He really should have been at every stable like Beedle

bitch did I stutter
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Jakyl25 posted...

foolm0r0n posted...

Suprak the Stud posted...

You definitely did not have good weapons then.

No, there are fights that will deplete an arsenal of even the strongest weapons. The hardest combat shrine which you find in the castle for example. You can play it perfectly but if you don't have enough high damage high durability weapons, you will be mathematically unable to defeat the boss. I used all 3 big elemental weapons that you find there and several of the big swords you get from the enemies there. There is literally a maximum amount of damage you can do due to inventory limits, and that boss comes pretty close.

You have infinite bombs

Using bombs isn't fun though.
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Icehawk posted...

foolm0r0n posted...

Now imagine making a post like that a few days after the game came out

I wish I was there. I would have had your back ;_;

He's leaving out the part where he said it was a legitimately bad game that he actively disliked.
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Jakyl25 posted...

You have infinite bombs

sigh I guess

It is true that bomb spamming is objectively the best way to beat a lot of things
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Icehawk posted...

Jakyl25 posted...

foolm0r0n posted...

Suprak the Stud posted...

You definitely did not have good weapons then.

No, there are fights that will deplete an arsenal of even the strongest weapons. The hardest combat shrine which you find in the castle for example. You can play it perfectly but if you don't have enough high damage high durability weapons, you will be mathematically unable to defeat the boss. I used all 3 big elemental weapons that you find there and several of the big swords you get from the enemies there. There is literally a maximum amount of damage you can do due to inventory limits, and that boss comes pretty close.

You have infinite bombs

Using bombs isn't fun though.

Not on that type of enemy, no

But its not a literal damage cap is all Im trying to say

And for Gods sake cook stat boosts
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NBIceman posted...

He's leaving out the part where he said it was a legitimately bad game that he actively disliked.

I said it's a legitimately bad game that I still mostly liked because of the Zelda charm that IS in there if you dig for it. You can like something and still admit it's bad. It's pretty much necessary to be a Nintendo fan.
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Apologies, then. I didn't remember you ever saying you liked it, guess that's just the impression I got.
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Jakyl25 posted...

Icehawk posted...

Jakyl25 posted...

foolm0r0n posted...

Suprak the Stud posted...

You definitely did not have good weapons then.

No, there are fights that will deplete an arsenal of even the strongest weapons. The hardest combat shrine which you find in the castle for example. You can play it perfectly but if you don't have enough high damage high durability weapons, you will be mathematically unable to defeat the boss. I used all 3 big elemental weapons that you find there and several of the big swords you get from the enemies there. There is literally a maximum amount of damage you can do due to inventory limits, and that boss comes pretty close.

You have infinite bombs

Using bombs isn't fun though.

Not on that type of enemy, no

But its not a literal damage cap is all Im trying to say

And for Gods sake cook stat boosts

I forgot to mention that I also hated the cooking! Really, all the survival stuff wasn't fun for me.
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My one major gripe about BotW, and this might be just me, is the anticlimax

The Hyrule Castle run is GREAT. Absolutely my favorite part of the game and possibly the entire series. Im counting from the first point you decide to tackle it and have to fight your way TO the official dungeon part, and then exploring the whole place taking out Ganons strongest and toughest.

The issue is that youre incentivized to do this in the middle of the game. I fought my way to Ganons doorstep then decided not to fight him yet because I still had Divine Beasts to tackle.

Then when you go back at the end its much less suspenseful because youre OP

Probably just an issue with how I played the game
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NBIceman posted...

guess that's just the impression I got.

Duh because anything anyone ever said about it was how flawless it was, so to talk about the flaws was a form of gamer terrorism

Jakyl25 posted...

But its not a literal damage cap is all Im trying to say

And for Gods sake cook stat boosts

Sure but there's still a limit to the amount of damage you can do before being forced to play an extremely tedious game. That's just as bad.

But anyways I was still able to beat the boss without bombs or buffs. My point is that it depleted my entire inventory. So it's not like you can just get good weapons and be set. Unless you just use bombs for everything and never use them...
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foolm0r0n posted...

NBIceman posted...

guess that's just the impression I got.

Duh because anything anyone ever said about it was how flawless it was, so to talk about the flaws was a form of gamer terrorism

No, I think it's because you just seemed very hostile. Kind of like right now.
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I was promised controversy

I got controversy
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Jakyl25 posted...

Probably just an issue with how I played the game

Well the game is all about freedom and playing it however you want but yeah if you don't play it in a very specific way you're doing it wrong
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foolm0r0n posted...

But anyways I was still able to beat the boss without bombs or buffs. My point is that it depleted my entire inventory. So it's not like you can just get good weapons and be set. Unless you just use bombs for everything and never use them...

My POV is that there are always always always more weapons

Even if they are shitty weapons, theyll hold you over until you find better ones

And the types of weapons are varied enough that I enjoyed being forced out of my spear/broadsword comfort zone
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Icehawk posted...

First off, if you love to explore in video games, I can't think of a game that does it better.

What if I don't care about exploring. Will I not care for this game?
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4. Steamworld Dig 2
I played Steamworld Dig a while ago and enjoyed it a lot, but Steamworld Dig 2 absolutely masters the formula.

That formula is simple, you dig underground both as a means of exploration and to advance the game, and as a way to find loot. Once you get that loot, you can bring it back to the surface to get better gear and upgrade yourself. I think that dual purpose is what makes this game so fun, as it gives you a constant rewards and a great feeling of progression as you go.

Everytime you go back, down underground, you can see the progress you've made, and it feels good! Meanwhile, it's not hard to find gems and other goodies. It's a loot system that is very satisfying, and doesn't have you in menus 50% of the time like many loot based games.

As you explore underground, you can also find caves that are kind of like Zelda shrines. They offer platforming and puzzle challenges that are well done and mix up the action admirably. You also fight the occasional foe as you go, which is probably the weakest part of the game. Combat is nothing special, but it also isn't that prevalent, so I never got sick of it, and it did the job of interjecting some danger and variety into the game. There are also a few boss fights, which are fine and do their job.

Steamworld Dig 2 isn't a super complex game, but it does a few things and does them extraordinarily well. Looting is addictive as heck, and everything else surrounding the game adds value. I don't have much to complain about, it's just a great, well executed game, that knew what it was trying to achieve in every way. I would happily play a 3rd game in the series tomorrow.
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NowItsAngeTime posted...

Icehawk posted...

First off, if you love to explore in video games, I can't think of a game that does it better.

What if I don't care about exploring. Will I not care for this game?

I feel like this game would be very very difficult to complete if you didn't explore at all and just went to the main hub areas and beat the bosses. Not to mention, it would kill all the fun in the game, as the "dungeons" in the game aren't that great, you need the shrines to get stronger, and to deliver some of the best puzzle solving in the game. For what it's worth, you get a world map, and it's easy to figure out what places might have good stuff. You also have an indicator that tells you when you are close to a shrine, so it's not just totally aimless exploration. But I think you have to enjoy that to some extent too.
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If you dont like exploration, you better really love Zelda atmosphere/lore
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Celeste top 3 hype.
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3. Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King
In the Zelda writeup, I mentioned that I missed the old format of Zelda while playing the game. Well, if you are like me, here is the game on the switch that can scratch that itch.

This isn't complicated, it's a LttP clone, but it is executed on perfectly. You explore a world map, that has a solid amount of secrets, find some towns, where you can get some supplies and cash in on some small upgrades, and the climax is some huge, awesome dungeons.

Every world and dungeon is suitably unique and unveils some new tricks or gear for you to use. The boss fights are all well balanced and enjoyable, and the combat is what you would expect, and it's solid. The highlight for me was definitely the puzzles in these dungeons. They aren't usually super difficult to solve, and even the harder ones are a nice mix of a challenge without getting frustrating or being too obtuse.

Perhaps the one thing that does truly set Blossom Tales apart from LttP is its charm. This game is a story being told by a grandpa to his two grandchildren. You get his text narration throughout the game, with cute interjections from the kids as well. This is a very neat storytelling mechanic, that gave this a nice unique flair.

Blossom Tales is a game clearly made by a group of people who love Zelda, and understood what made it great. They nail the formula, and while it may not be unique, it doesn't need to be (especially when ZELDA ITSELF won't capitalize on its own formula!! mirite?!?)
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Owlboy vs. Celeste

PREDIXXX GO
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