Switch Stuff: an ordinary fan's thoughts about Switch stuff (including impressions and mini-reviews)

  ⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️ For my first Pikmin experience, this wasn't too shabby. 😎 Likes Unique style of gameplay (efficiency is king)! Forgiving for newcomers. Difficulty options. Ability to switch between gyro and pointer controls. Time-limited days and missions aren't short to the point of feeling unfair. Olimar side story is longer than expected (well worth the $60 price in my mind)!* Gripes The story's on the short side. 😕 Using pointer controls takes away the R button to reset the cursor instead of switching between Pikmin and the other crew members.  Olimar’s side story could have shown his finding of the S.S. Drake’s cosmic-drive key in a level but didn’t (missed opportunity?)... 🤔 Pointer can be finicky (which is unhelpful in Missions where time is of the essence). SCORE : 4/5 *The prologue is pretty brief (which worried me about the length of the epilogue), but the side story following the main story is rewardingly longer than expected.

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️  (Kinda, sorta, not really?) Not the remasters hoped for, but a nice bundle that finally brings classic 3D Mario to the Switch. Likes The upscaled visuals are noticeable: Galaxy looks impossibly better.  Sunshine in 1080p is so nice ...  The ol' polygonal charm of 64 gets a boost (even if just to 720p). The option to play Sunshine and Galaxy in handheld mode is just...  YES . 😇 Jump button mapped to both A and B  in all three games offers some flexibility depending on your preference. Galaxy : Spin move mapped to X and Y (handheld mode is a go-for-launch). 64 : Action moves (punch, grab, dive, etc.) mapped to X  and Y . Sunshine : Makes use of the extra shoulder buttons (compared to the GameCube controller) for FLUDD's Squirt Nozzle controls. Simple, user-friendly main menu. The soundtracks. 🎶 And, most importantly, classic 3D Mario on Switch! 🥳 Gripes Limited release for physical and digital? Really?* 🤨  Wasted opportuni...

  ⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️   Charming and thought-provoking little package of exploration and puzzles. Likes Stirring blend of mysterious, fantasy setting with thought-provoking themes. Simplistic art style compliments the story. Relatable characters, despite their unique appearances. Runs smoothly for the most part. Saves every time you enter an area. An all too satisfying ending. Collectibles add to the world’s mysterious lore. Gripes Albeit not always , there are  severe frame-rate drops when entering/exiting puzzles. No map? 😕 A few visual glitches. And... that’s pretty much it! SCORE : 5/5

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️   Best since Thousand-Year Door ... but still not Thousand-Year Door . Likes Ring-based combat system is engaging.* Open world (mostly). That writing. Olivia is arguably the best main partner in a Paper Mario game ever . Hidden Toads (and nice references).  The more strategy-based boss battles are a nice change of pace to normal battles.  Vellumental battles and abilities. Bobby (and his entire story arc). Confetti doesn't feel overly used as a gimmick, unlike the paint and stickers of Color Splash and Sticker Star . Nice to revisit previous areas if you're going for 100% completion. Gripes Time limit on battle puzzles; I get why, but geh ... Forgettable main villain with majorly lame motive.** Seriously? Stationery tools as bosses ?*** To say they "brought back" partners, from a classic Paper Mario  standpoint, is a   big stretch.**** SCORE : 4/5 *While personally engaging for me, the ring battles are hit-or-miss. And when they're a ...

⚠️SPOILER WARNING ⚠️ Spiritual successor to  Paper Mario 64  and  Thousand Year Door ? CHECK. Likes Kabbu, Vi, and Leif are unique and interesting to see develop as the game progresses.  Battle system not only based, but builds upon Thousand Year Door ’s. Switching team members is quick and simple in both the overworld and in battle. The game really encourages thinking through your turns in battle. Harder mode available as a badge costing nothing to equip.  Leif’s ice bubble move in the overworld is a bit OP, but so useful . That card battle mini-game is a blast.* Gripes Maybe too much like Paper Mario ?🤔 More than a few quests are not all that fun...** No dash move to get around quicker...*** SCORE : 5/5 *: Maybe what the battle system in Color Splash should’ve been? Sorta-kinda-maybe-yes? **: Props to the devs on when particular quests pop up.  ***: But, then there’s the Ant Compass.

⚠️SPOILER WARNING ⚠️   Simplistic and a bit grindy, but enjoyable nonetheless. Likes So much fun to smash through mobs.😇 Exploration is rewarded (most of the time). Most, if not all, areas are interesting. Fun to challenge your play-style in harder versions of areas.  Artifacts add some unique spice to the gameplay.* Enchanting can make a lower-level weapon a lot better.** Daily trials offer a wealth of new challenges to both older and newer levels. Variety of villager merchants provides a lot more options than at launch. Blacksmith can upgrade items! Gripes Game doesn’t actually  pause  in offline mode. 🤔 Those loading times... Crashes...😑 *** May take several attempts to unlock secret missions with the random level generation.😤 Enchanted mob spawns can be brutal .  FPS is not a steady 30, and can be even worse in outdoor areas (refer to Creeper Woods).  Method of spawning mobs can be a bit ruthless, especially in tighter spaces... The Power system.....

Here, you’ll find posts on my impressions, mini-reviews, and thoughts (among other things) about anything Switch, primarily games (Marios, Zeldas, and other big Nintendo IPs, along with some third party and indie concoctions).  Accessories and rumors will be done too, but to a much lesser extent (does “much lesser” count as an oxymoron?). So let's get to it! Impressions posts are structured in a simplistic, pros-and-cons style called  Likes & Gripes . They’re each mostly – if not entirely – made up of a title, a bulleted list of "plusses" (what I like about the game), and a bulleted list of "minuses" (gripes I have about the game).  Each bulleted “plus” or “minus” is written briefly and usually not in a complete sentence (so if you’re a grammar perfectionist, easy on the hair-pulling).  Some may include an asterisk or some other symbol at the end. These will have a footnote at the bottom, usually with a little elaboration.  Mini-reviews are just that: brie...