Gaming Smack My Switch Up: The Nintendo Switch Discussion Thread (was: NX)

GCN didn’t fall into a clear third until the last third of its life. At least in my experience it held its own for quite a while- and was the go-to party machine on top of its tech parity with XB. Definitely had an edge with certain 3rd party games like the SW franchise too.

Because you could already play MK Wii discs on the system (which had already sold 37m+ copies) and they probably wanted you buying MK8 and MK8 DLC instead.

 

I mean, I think that's a fair characterization of the GCN holding its own if it was within 2 mil of the XB. PS2 obviously overshadowed both but GCN had a lead over XB for most of the gen (up until maybe mid/late 2004), then trailed off and XB made up ground (eventually surpassing it by 2005when 360 launched) as it became clearer and clearer that the XB would be more than just Halo and a novelty system (bolstered as Halo 2 and XB Live became a thing).

 

I haven't checked recently, but I recall it being mainly harder to find/limited production titles which were expensive to acquire physically that got digital rereleases ie: Metroid Prime Trilogy, Xenoblade Chronicles and the other Project Rainfall titles.

 

So, just playing around with any idea, but how many people here would be up for a MariOlympics of a sort starting sometime this summer? Basically throw all of the major Switch Nintendo/Mario sports titles (and Smash, of course- maybe even Mario Party as a wild card thing) into the mix, plus some retro games in some form, balance out things into teams (especially as who has access to what factors in) and score across them all for a final winner? Would have to work out the specifics and logistics in terms of scoring, player time zones, tracking scores, etc, and I have no idea how long it would take but it'd be something we could spread out for a few months to make work. But obviously depends on level of interest since we'd want more than just 4 people playing .

Gonna cross-post this in the Forceboat thread, but wanted to get a pulse here as well.

 

The only reason I got a Gamecube.

Literally only.

Rebel Strike wins for me only for the SSD episodes, and inventing TIE Hunters.

 

Not to mention having all of Rogue Leader in co-op.

 

The N64 release was Rogue Squadron. Also a solid title (though the one AT-PT level drove me nuts). Notable for being spun-off from the opening snowspeeder level of Shadows of the Empire and, via code, the first place we could play as the N-1 Starfighter after the TPM teaser trailer debuted (fitting, given that it was followed up by Battle For naboo, which was also excellent and is highly underrated). Also had a Dark Empire level, so, .

But Rogue Leader was definitely next level. Flying the trench run with independent look-around controls and interactive cannon fire lighting effects was insane at the time.

I also appreciated Rebel Strike not only giving us two story mode paths- one EU-based Wedge track with an original story and another that was more movie-centric with Luke while also, at the same time, not repeating levels from Rogue Leader and instead slotting things between them.

Would actually love to see a mega-compilation remake combining all of the levels from all three games into a single chronological experience (at least the Luke ones). Maybe some of the unreleased Rogue Squadron IV Wii content added in/updated as a bonus.

 

I wholeheartedly disagree. GCN, like the N64, was still a massive party machine and couch co-op beast. The 4 controller ports gave it an edge over the PS2 in that regard, the while the overall system was more durable and portable to bring to places. Melee alone solidified that role, but you also still had the iterations of Mario Party (personally, MP5 was the best entry of the series) and Mario Kart (DD may not be the most popular version, but the co-op mechanic was-and-still-is aces) in addition to F-Zero GX. Animal Crossing, Pac Man VS and Four Swords Adventures also brought unique multiplayer dynamics.

And that's not mentioning pretty good 3rd party support where you'd often have the best version of a title on GCN. TimeSplitters 2, Mortal Kombat V, Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee & SoulCaibur II come to mind.

Really, the Wii kinda waned in many of those regards. A huge success, yes, but maybe 3-5 games really standing out? The loss of parity with other consoles during the jump to HD really hurt that system's 3rd party releases.

 

The GCN controller was almost flawless. There's a reason it has lasted more console generations than any other controller. It's only flaws were a D-pad that was too small, the lack of a Z2 button (you put one on there, why not make another for symmetry?) and the fact that, while the "have all support face buttons orbit around the primary input button" is a brilliant design that enhances most games it was used for, it did handicap it for certain specific genres (traditional arcade fighters being the most notable, where you need multiple buttons of equal importance) so there was a slight tradeoff of versatility in some games for enhancements in others.

The only thing I lament about the GCN is that it did away with the C-buttons or an equivalent. Yes, technically the C-stick replaced them, but the jump from GoldenEye 1-stick+C-buttons to Agent Under Fire 2-stick controls for FPS sacrificed circle strafing precision and basically killed my FPS skill game. I eventually adapted after a few years, but dual analogs took a long while to get used to (especially since the most common alternative to practice with them was the DualShock 2's terrible, top-heavy, floppy-ass sticks).

Not many GCN sequels fell short of their N64 versions. People might argue that MK64 over MKDD is an example (I wouldn't- one day people will realize that that game wasn't very good). Star Fox 64 vs Star Fox Assault is probably a more legit example, though I really don't think there's that much of a difference there.

A lot of people tend to hold up Mario Party 2 or 3 as the best in that series (but, again, I found 5 to be superior). Maybe Paper Mario (but I think that's a coin toss too)?

 

Thinking of other examples, if you want to jump platform holders, I think most people would take the N64 Perfect Dark over Perfect Dark Zero any day . Granted, that's a generation skip, technically. But, let's be honest, if you're a launch title for the 360- a system that famously came out earlier than the traditional console cycle to get a jump on the competition, you were probably a title initially developed for the original XB .

Well, they're not wrong .

 

MK64 was experimental in ways that, while necessary in the N64 era of exploring what 3D space could do for franchises, lost the tight design of the original game that was recaptured in later titles. MK1 had very tight controls, whereas MK64 was far looser. MK1 had well-designed tracks that always conveyed where to go even while providing a range of motions and pathing. Meanwhile, MK64 did very open spaces for tracks that could often leave you turned around or heading off into a corner away from the correct path(s).

Understandable, again, for wanting to show off 3D spaces (and also to help keep muddy textures further from the camera). But they've almost always been among the weaker tracks in the series. Later Retro Cup updates of those tracks have helped a little with added details and revisions, but there are still issues with them in terms of design and feel.