It's been a while since I last put a post together, huh? I always forget that this blog exists, until I stumble across it through an email or something... Anyway, I've got stuff I should be doing instead, so I figured I'd write another post here.
Was thinking of writing about a single game but then thought, no, what if I write small things about a bunch of games instead? This way I don't have to decide what in particular to write about, and then I can also jump from one thing to another!
So, today's instalment will be about my experiences with the Nintendo Switch and games that I've played on the console
The Switch released in March of 2017, and I ended up picking up my unit at launch, after umming and ahhing for a while - it just so happened that I got a bunch of gift cards that would cover the cost of it and Zelda: Breath of the Wild, so I did!
And Zelda is where I'll begin... I've never really been a huge Zelda person, I've finished Ocarina, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Phantom Hourglass, but that's about it, so was unsure about grabbing it, but as it was one of the launch games and the only one to take my fancy... I actually really liked the open-ness of the world, the ability to climb whatever and just go exploring. A lot of people complain about the weapon durability thing, but I didn't mind it too much. The story was okay, being given mostly in the form of flashbacks, so can't really say much about it. I did go for all shrines/quests completed, didn't bother getting all the Koroks and also didn't pick up the DLC, but from the sounds of it (being much harder content), it wasn't something I was really interested in. Either way, it was a nice first game to own, especially showing off the capability of the console with its play on TV and play on the go abilities.
The next game I picked up was Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. If you enjoy Mario Kart, this is the game for you! Even though it's essentially just the Wii U version, with all the DLC included in the base game, plus a new Battle Mode and a couple extra characters, I had a decent amount of fun with it, though it was all very dependant on having siblings around to play with, as I really didn't care for playing against CPUs, and I definitely don't much like playing online. Probably would have preferred a whole new Mario Kart game, so hopefully one comes in future!
Now, I mentioned my dislike of online above, but there's something about Splatoon that I really enjoy... And Splatoon 2! A sequel to the Wii U Splatoon, one that I very occasionally played because our 'net connection was ~awful~ (and thankfully, improved somewhat), but really enjoyed. I really like how it's not completely competitive, you can still help your team win matches just by painting the ground, no need to engage the other team in combat. Splatoon 2 also added Salmon Run, a mode where you team up against Salmonid, with the aim to grab as many Golden Eggs as you can. I really enjoy the weapon selection which means I have to try out a bunch of different weapons (as opposed to the normal multiplayer, where I usually use Brellas), and it's fun to work as a team. I did pick up the DLC for this game, which adds a new single-player campaign, one that's a bit tougher than the story campaign and adds a variety of new mission types as well as the ability to play as Octolings. I really like the lore of Splatoon, so I had to grab it, and feel the difficulty of this was good (with the exception being the secret boss, who I did eventually manage to take down).
Super Mario Odyssey, like Zelda, has a bit more of an open-world feel than recent Mario games, harkening back to the likes of Sunshine and 64, and definitely something that I enjoyed. Unlike Zelda, instead of one big world, there are multiple smaller worlds, packed with stuff to do, and more of a story as a result (as you'll still be visiting the worlds in mostly the same order each playthrough). I enjoyed dressing Mario up in a variety of costumes based on the world we were in, working out how to get the Power Moons and using the various Capture powers.
Kirby Star Allies is another game that I've enjoyed. It's been fun to play with siblings, playing through the main story, trying out the different powers, playing as all the different Friends... The Guest Star mode is my favourite part, getting to choose one of the Friends to play as, and being locked in as them for a mini-playthrough, rather than just playing as Kirby. The addition of extra Dream Friends every so often adds some longevity and variation in playstyles, which is also fun.
Finally for big games, Octopath Traveller. This is something I was very not sure about, until I played the big demo that was released, and then thought it was pretty okay. And, sure, it is, if you really love that style JRPG. Unfortunately for me, after 30 hours (three chapters into most characters' stories), that was as far as I cared to go. Even with battling everything on the way to each place, I felt underlevelled, and I ~really~ did not care to going to the effort of grinding between chapters just to level up whoever was required for that chapter, so that's probably as far as I'll play. It's almost a shame, as I'd put a decent amount of time in, but I was playing for less and less each session, and eventually didn't care to continue it at all and would rather put the time, and money, towards something else.
Sushi Striker was another that I liked the idea of from a demo, but upon playing the full version, eventually cared less and less about the gameplay, and ultimately dropped. A puzzle game I did enjoy, though, was Puyo Puyo Tetris. I had also played the demo of this one (and managed to discover a glitch that made some of the multiplayer modes that were supposed to be locked playable, haha). I enjoyed the wacky characters and story, the multiplayer is fun too, and it's sometimes nice to just boot up and play a round of either of the puzzle games. I swapped from the physical to the digital version of this as a result of enjoying it so much.
Next up, the music section! I've been playing and enjoying Rayark's VOEZ and Deemo (the former moreso) and am definitely looking forward to Cytus releasing on Switch (I played the PS Mobile version on Vita while it was still available, and had fun with it there, it'll be nice to have the "trilogy" together on Switch). Musynx is another I've been really enjoying (imported the US physical copy, as it doesn't seem to be releasing in Europe very soon). What do VOEZ and Musynx have in common? Vocaloid songs! That's actually what drew me to both games, so they've definitely been good for that. Another music game worth mentioning is Lumines, a music-puzzle hybrid, and one I've really enjoyed in its previous incarnations.
Finally, Okami. Okami, Okami, Okami, how I love you. The Switch version is the... Fifth? (PS2, Wii, PS3, PS4, yeah) time I've picked it up, and as usual, I've had a lot of fun with it. The touch screen is nice for drawing on, the motion controls are also nice, it's lots of fun to have it on the go... I collected all the Stray Beads on my first playthrough, so whenever I feel like starting another, I'll be all set to go~ Definitely a good release of Okami.
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