That’s good to hear! I’m glad the shape of the joycons has been improved. I’d possibly be tempted to get a case anyway, to add more volume around the palm (rather than all the weight resting on the bottom of my hands). But hopefully I’ll get a chance to try one out at some point and see how they feel :3

You said it’s a little heavier than expected - how would you compare the weight to a Steam Deck? I find the Steam Deck quite heavy, but the ergonomics of the grips help massively. In comparison the Switch 1 wasn’t great to hold without a grip case in my opinion, but because it was so light that wasn’t a huge problem. I worry that the Switch 2 would be a bit uncomfortable to hold after a while if it’s a bit heavier and doesn’t have an ergonomic grip.

I think I’ll wait at least a year or so until there are more first party games. New 3D Mario and Zelda pleaseeee

The first 10 hours or so of Quest I really enjoyed. But I seem to have lost some motivation over the last couple of weeks. Once you find a setup that works, each battle becomes a bit samey. Hopefully I’ll be able to push through and finish it soon.

I’ve heard great things about Rebirth and I really enjoyed Remake, so I’ve got high hopes!

Not much on the Switch at the moment - I finished Mario Wonder the other week (excellent game) and I think I’m near the end of Steamworld Quest. So I’m flicking between that and Picross S4 when I get time.

On PS5 I’ve borrowed a copy of FF7 Rebirth off a friend which I look forward to starting later! I was also gifted A Short Hike on Steam so maybe I’ll give that a go :)

Oh that’s adorable. I love the cell-shaded art style

It kinda sucks how hard it is now to share a game with a friend. That was one of the main draws of console gaming for me; how you’d have ownership of the game to do with as you wished. PC gaming switched to predominately digital downloads years back, which is fine when you consider how affordable those games eventually become during Steam sales. But first party Nintendo games seem to hold their value and the sales are never that great, so you’re left with more expensive games and no longer the option to share them.

On Switch I’m playing through Mario Wonder (awesome game - have been slowly savouring it over the last few months) and Steamworld Quest. I’d heard mixed things about Quest, but I’m really enjoying it! I like how each character has their own deck of cards which you can synergize with the rest of your team. And it’s a bit more forgiving than something like Slay the Spire as you can add or remove cards to your decks at your leisure.

On PS5 I just started Spiderman 2 - loving the larger map and ability to switch characters.

This and Mario Kart were definitely the highlights for me. Looks fun! :)

Ehhhh it’s cool that this is a feature, but boy did it look laggy.

This actually looked really cool. An open world and seamless transition between maps is something I’d never had expected to see from a Mario Kart game.

But is that anything new either? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Nintendo promoting specs since the N64.

Hmm I’m not sure I follow the author’s argument here. Nintendo hasn’t been trying to keep up with the power of Xbox or PS consoles for years, that’s nothing new. But the Switch 2 is essentially a Switch with some upgrades and… better specs. If they’d ‘moved beyond specs’ then they’d have no need for a new Switch model.

I thought both games were excellent, but yes there was definitely something about BOTW that set it apart. In addition to what you’ve said, I think it’s partially that BOTW was such a unique experience the first time through - little things like the stamina meter for climbing, the cooking to help you craft items that warm you up etc. Discovering these features and setting off in whichever direction you fancied was a joy. TOTK didn’t have this same joy, as I already knew about these mechanics. And it felt like there was much more of a push to get the player to go in a specific direction, rather than leaving the exploration up to them.

I reckon they probably did the best job they could’ve with a sequel, but it was never going to be possible to live up to BOTW.

It’s a pokemon eat pokemon world out there…

I haven’t played a Pokemon game since Sword and Shield, but it looks like they’re doing some interesting new stuff here and shaking up the battle system. I’m quietly optimistic!

I guess personally I wouldn’t think of it in such concrete terms. It would be more like a rolling memory of what I viewed last. I.e. ‘ah I’ve just watched episodes 1, 2 and 3, and now I’ll watch episode 1 again’. The last two episodes will naturally be clearer in my recent memory, so in effect I’m watching them in the predetermined chunks.

But maybe that scenario would break down once you get onto the third viewing of episode 1 and your memories of when you viewed what become muddled xD

Why not? It’s the same thing, you just have to change your frame of reference as to which episode was ‘first’ for each permutation

Thanks for the write up! I haven’t played this one before, but clearly it’s well regarded so I’ll give it a go :)

Ughh yeah the metroids you mentioned were such a pain. If I remember correctly there was an annoyingly long section you had to climb up whilst fighting those things.

I’m playing through Persona 3 Reload. Has been nearly two months since I started it at this point but I am really enjoying it, and the characters are great.

I’ve just started playing Super Mario Wonder on the Switch (a Valentine’s Day present from my partner). It’s excellent! Such a fresh take on the Mario formula. I never know what to expect going in to each level (singing piranha plans?) but it’s left me smiling each time :3