Nintendo

[RJF]

I’ve just started Xenoblade Chronicles 2, bought it as a Christmas gift for myself. So far the combat system together with all the details regarding blades and drivers are a bit overwhelming..but I’m already hooked. Any tips would be much appreciated!

It is a bit overwhelming but I think the game is really good at drip feeding the mechanics so you're not overwhelmed! In terms of advice: do all the side quests, keep an eye on affinity charts to see how you can fill them in as fast as possible, and I honestly would be too bothered about awakening a huge amount of Blades on Rex or party member No.2 when No.4 and especially No.5 will be able to make better use of them. From my own experience getting to grips with everything in the first three chapters can be a little rough, but the level curve is kind to you early game.

I would also recommend YouTube tutorials on any mechanics you're struggling with because the in-game tutorials are awful and don't tell you about loads of secondary effects that are happening.

And have fun! It's an amazing RPG.

 

[soratami]

New Switch owner here, and I would like for some recommendations.

First what would be the best Mario Party game to play with someone who is absolutely new to videogames, whether it's a kid or an adult? As far as I know Super Mario Party is more accessible with the controls, but Mario Party Superstars is the better game.

I think the main difference between the two is Super Mario Party is completely reliant on motion controls (you can't even play it with a pro controller), while in Superstars can be played with controllers. I haven't actually played either, but Superstars seems way better/more enjoyable, I'd definitely go for that one.

 

[LeBratt]

It is a bit overwhelming but I think the game is really good at drip feeding the mechanics so you're not overwhelmed! In terms of advice: do all the side quests, keep an eye on affinity charts to see how you can fill them in as fast as possible, and I honestly would be too bothered about awakening a huge amount of Blades on Rex or party member No.2 when No.4 and especially No.5 will be able to make better use of them. From my own experience getting to grips with everything in the first three chapters can be a little rough, but the level curve is kind to you early game.

I would also recommend YouTube tutorials on any mechanics you're struggling with because the in-game tutorials are awful and don't tell you about loads of secondary effects that are happening.

And have fun! It's an amazing RPG.

Thanks, I'm taking it quite slow, Rex so far is level 10 and I've just now started to get a hang on the combat system. I remember when I played Xenoblade Chronicles for the first time earlier this year I felt like the combat system was so rewarding once you got the hang of it. So I'm expecting the same here. So far the story is really good because it craves me wanting more.

How about Arts? Will you get more to choose from?

 

[RJF]

How about Arts? Will you get more to choose from?

Nope! Each character comes with four and you have three slots. I would focus on levelling up the arts that activate stages of the Driver Combo (Break, Topple, Launch, Smash). Like, never take Anchor Shot off Rex once.

Also, a lovely annoyance is that, despite you getting the notification in the overworld that a node on the affinity chart has been filled in, you need to actually go into the affinity chart for the node to activate. So watch out for that!

 

[Laurence]

Overcooked 2 and Overcooked special edition are on sale on the eShop. Anyone who wants to play together? I think I’m getting overcooked 2.

all you can eat includes everything but is still 20 or so.

 

[joe_alouder]

Expanding on @RJF s recommendation; Xenogay has lots of depth and content but if you are struggling there is an easy mode that still provides challenge but may help you get through a little easier. The story, world and combat are fantastic regardless so it just comes down to how much depth/side content you want to do

 

[smellycat]

I’ve finally got round to playing Paper Mario: Origami King over the holidays and can we talk about that scene?!

Spoiler: Devastated

I was NOT ready for sweet little Bobby Bob-omb to sacrifice himself. I sat for a good few mins with my mouth dropped open.

 

[LPMA]

I’ve finally got round to playing Paper Mario: Origami King over the holidays and can we talk about that scene?!

Spoiler: Devastated

I was NOT ready for sweet little Bobby Bob-omb to sacrifice himself. I sat for a good few mins with my mouth dropped open.

I had come across a spoiler so I was kinda bracing myself but I still was not ready.

 

[nikkysan]

Have I really binge watched the videos for the first 4 games in the series? Yes.

Am I going to use all of the knowledge I absorbed from these videos to destroy CPUs? Yes.

 

[itsthemanbearpig]

Not to be in here asking for another Nintendo sequel, but I'm kinda surprised we haven't seen a follow up to Captain Toad. The character is a delight and the game was really good but there's definitely potential to go bigger and add some new challenges. It would presumably only need a modest budget, too. Where is 2 Treasure 2 Tracker?

 

[soratami]

I made it to chapter 13 in Xenoblade Chronicles DE ages ago, but stopped playing the game for whatever reason, and I'm trying to get back into it now, but whew, there's an overwhelming amount of systems and stuff to keep track of. The combat system is complex enough, but there's also the affinity charts (both in the party and with NPCs), the endless sidequests, the collectapedia, the gear, the skills, the crystals/crafting, the heart to hearts, the unique monsters, the Colony 6 restoration...

I definitely still want to beat it, but it's all just a lot to take in after not having touched the game in several months. I think I'm gonna have to reread some tutorials nn

 

[bakerboy92]

Is it just me or does Shin Megami Tensei V look worse docked than it does in handheld mode? It looks pixelated and more noticeably chugs docked, but seems all-around smoother in handheld.

It definitely has me wishing the Switch Pro had turned out to be real.

 

[ChrisC]

I made it to chapter 13 in Xenoblade Chronicles DE ages ago, but stopped playing the game for whatever reason, and I'm trying to get back into it now, but whew, there's an overwhelming amount of systems and stuff to keep track of. The combat system is complex enough, but there's also the affinity charts (both in the party and with NPCs), the endless sidequests, the collectapedia, the gear, the skills, the crystals/crafting, the heart to hearts, the unique monsters, the Colony 6 restoration...

I definitely still want to beat it, but it's all just a lot to take in after not having touched the game in several months. I think I'm gonna have to reread some tutorials nn

Crystals/crafting NEVER ended up making any sense to me when I played the Wii release about 2 or 3 years ago. I'm pretty sure there's not too much crafting required to beat the main story at least.

Does Colony 6 restoration give a lot of useful rewards? That was another system I totally skipped in my playthrough.

If you want easy mode to victory, look up some tutorials on how to play as Melia, because she's an absolute beast when not controlled by the AI.

 

[BubblegumBoy]

When can we expect the next Nintendo Direct? I need a release date for Kirby!

 

[SlowGinFizzzz]

When can we expect the next Nintendo Direct? I need a release date for Kirby!

In the past there's pretty much always been one either in January or in February, so that's what we can expect. Fingers crossed for January though, there are still a lot of games that don't even have a release date yet (Kirby, Bayonetta, ...Zelda).

 

[soratami]

Crystals/crafting NEVER ended up making any sense to me when I played the Wii release about 2 or 3 years ago. I'm pretty sure there's not too much crafting required to beat the main story at least.

Does Colony 6 restoration give a lot of useful rewards? That was another system I totally skipped in my playthrough.

If you want easy mode to victory, look up some tutorials on how to play as Melia, because she's an absolute beast when not controlled by the AI.

Actually crafting isn't that complicated, and I quite enjoy the Colony 6 rebuilding/repopulating, so those two aren't that big a deal, the most complicated part is grasping all the elements of the combat system again, and making heads or tails of the affinity charts. The fact that there's absolutely no way to tell which unique monsters you have and haven't beaten is very annoying too, but at this point I'm just not going to bother trying to beat them all. I would like to at least complete all the permanently missable sidequests though, so I guess I'll try focusing on those before moving on with the story.

 

[Jonathan27]

I spent about 8 hours with SMT 5 over the last two days and it's really scratching the RPG itch: the perfect blend of familiarity with the recurring demons also in Persona and less emphasis on life simulation. That said, I'm finding the aesthetics quite...drab? Persona 4 had the same issues in the Midnight Channel specifically but that was also a PS2 game. It's a bit draining in a way I typically don't find the art direction to be. I'm wondering if this is a series staple as I'm not as experienced with SMT as I am with Persona.

 

[soratami]

I spent about 8 hours with SMT 5 over the last two days and it's really scratching the RPG itch: the perfect blend of familiarity with the recurring demons also in Persona and less emphasis on life simulation. That said, I'm finding the aesthetics quite...drab? Persona 4 had the same issues in the Midnight Channel specifically but that was also a PS2 game. It's a bit draining in a way I typically don't find the art direction to be. I'm wondering if this is a series staple as I'm not as experienced with SMT as I am with Persona.

I haven't started SMTV yet, but from the ones I've played, SMT games are generally pretty bleak looking, which goes with the usual post-apocalyptic setting and more serious tone. They're pretty different from the colourful extravaganza you usually get from Persona.

 

[soratami]

So instead of continuing Xenoblade I decided to start another game I had in my backlog, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, and I'm enjoying it quite a lot so far. It's very Persona-lite, not quite on the same level in terms of story/characters, but it's very light-hearted and fun, and I love the combat and character growth systems. All the party members and supporting characters being part of an entertainment company, and their work as performers being reflected in their combat abilities is a great concept.

 

[ChrisC]

So instead of continuing Xenoblade I decided to start another game I had in my backlog, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, and I'm enjoying it quite a lot so far. It's very Persona-lite, not quite on the same level in terms of story/characters, but it's very light-hearted and fun, and I love the combat and character growth systems. All the party members and supporting characters being part of an entertainment company, and their work as performers being reflected in their combat abilities is a great concept.

Ugh, I loved it so much. I played the Wii U version (Switch version is owned but in my backlog) and just had a total blast with it. I'm not surprised the SMT edgelord segment and FE traditionalists hated it because some of it just so gay in the best way. "Reincarnation" bangs.

It's fun too because the dungeons are well-designed/rich in mechanics, and the boss battles can be challenging at times. I'm sure the streamlining of Session animations (can't you skip them now?) makes the battles so much snappier, too.