{"id":168731,"date":"2019-10-19T02:50:24","date_gmt":"2019-10-18T18:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/featured\/-1807867\/"},"modified":"2019-10-19T02:50:24","modified_gmt":"2019-10-18T18:50:24","slug":"witcher-3-overwatch-and-the-beauty-of-the-impossible-nintendo-switch-port","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/2019\/10\/19\/witcher-3-overwatch-and-the-beauty-of-the-impossible-nintendo-switch-port\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Witcher 3,\u2019 \u2018Overwatch,\u2019 and the Beauty of the Impossible Nintendo Switch Port"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.geek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/switcher-650x366.png?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<p>I don\u2019t think <em>Sniper Elite 3<\/em> is a fantastic game. I think it delivers on the elements it clearly spent most of its effort on, giving players lots of opportunities to snipe Nazis from creative vantage points and watch the resulting slow-mo carnage. But that singular focus only serves to make the rest of the stealth game surrounding it seem that much more uninspired. It\u2019s not something I would normally be interested in for very long.<\/p>\n<p>However, because <em>Sniper Elite 3<\/em> is on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-nintendo-switch-1685280\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">Nintendo Switch<\/a>, I\u2019ve played far more of the game than I would have otherwise, taking potshots on the train during the morning commute or in-between weekend errands. The open-world North Africa levels may seem like a poor man\u2019s <em>Metal Gear Solid V<\/em>, but that still looks pretty nice and runs pretty smooth on the small screen. It\u2019s just cooler and more impressive in this form.<\/p>\n<p>With more publishers now quenching the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/monster-hunter-world-and-the-nintendo-switch-port-thirst-1732825\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">Switch port thirst<\/a>\u00a0with modified versions of cutting-edge and technically demanding AAA console games, I\u2019ve come to an opinion that I wanted to share here. Just because a game may look worse on Nintendo Switch, that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s a worse version.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex-video widescreen embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yZJJnrfaykQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>For another example, consider <em>A Hat in Time<\/em>. The crowdfunded 3D mascot platformer always seemed like a perfect fit for a system that literally has Mario on it. But because the game ran on Unreal Engine 3 as opposed to its more flexible successor, the developers at Gears for Breakfast originally maintained that a Switch port was \u201cimpossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But it turns out that wasn\u2019t the case. <em>A Hat in Time<\/em> is now on Switch and the game is better for it. Does it look quite as good? No. The game\u2019s art style constantly threatens to tip over into generic if not for truly bizarre details like a planet of mobsters and a war between two bird movie studios. I experienced some hitches as well. But compared to something like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/yooka-laylee-and-never-stop-sneakin-bring-early-90s-3d-nostalgia-to-nintendo-switch-1725977\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Yooka-Laylee<\/em><\/a>, the scale and creativity of these sandboxes along with your hat-based (sorry, Cappy) platforming tools for playing in them are simply joyous. And on Switch, in my case the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/tech\/geek-pick-nintendo-switch-lite-feels-fake-in-a-good-way-1804898\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">Switch Lite<\/a>, you can enjoy these big worlds in bite-sized pieces thanks to the formula <em>Super Mario 64<\/em> already laid down almost 25 years ago.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex-video widescreen embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XhPrcdjhPdQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>I\u2019m writing this story because it\u2019s a common thread across a bunch of new Switch games I played this week but also because I wanted to expand on some tweets I posted on the subject.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">There&#8217;s a kind of hardcore gamer condescension to the idea that you should only play Witcher 3 (or any AAA port) on Switch if you have no other choice. It fails to consider that by just having a portable option this version may honestly fit the best into the lives of some folks.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jordan Minor (@JordanWMinor) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JordanWMinor\/status\/1183815632313344002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 14, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Obviously people are free to have whatever gaming preferences they like, but these days I stan Nintendo not just for the games but because they also keep doing things that don&#8217;t align with these increasingly rigid priorities about the One True Way To Play<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jordan Minor (@JordanWMinor) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JordanWMinor\/status\/1183817090760876036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 14, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I think these tweets stand on their own but what I was trying to get across is that a games culture that prioritizes graphics and raw quantitative technical specs above anything else is prone to ignoring other, more experiential benefits you may gain from giving up some of those specs. It\u2019s the <a href=\"http:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/index.php\" title=\"\u672c\u7db1\u9801\u63d0\u4f9b\u4e00\u500b\u65b9\u4fbf\u7684\u5e73\u53f0, \u70ba\u5927\u5bb6\u914d\u5c0d\u96fb\u8166\u88dc\u7fd2,IT freelance, \u79c1\u4eba\u8001\u5e2b , PHP\u88dc\u7fd2, HTML\u88dc\u7fd2, CSS\u88dc\u7fd2, JavaScript\u88dc\u7fd2, XML, Java\u88dc\u7fd2,Server\u88dc\u7fd2, MySQL\u88dc\u7fd2, \u4e2d\u5b78\u96fb\u8166\u79d1\u79c1\u4eba\u88dc\u7fd2, \u5728\u8077\u4eba\u58eb\u96fb\u8166\u63d0\u5347\u88dc\u7fd2,\u5c08\u696d\u8003\u8a66\u96fb\u8166 \u88dc\u7fd2,\u96fb\u8166\u5716\u50cf\u8a2d\u8a08\u96fb\u8166\u88dc\u7fd2, gra\">class<\/a>ic example of trading the strength of a gaming PC for the convenience of a console. The uniquely underpowered yet portable Switch just makes this continuum even more extreme. Would you trade the dream of the most premium yet isolated and time-consuming gaming experience possible for something more modest that actually fits into your busy life and lets you play more games on average? It&#8217;s the same reason why\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/hands-on-nintendo-labo-vr-kit-is-totally-good-enough-1779375\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">Labo VR on Switch<\/a> won me over, despite weak specs, by being something real people could theoretically use.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone has their own different values and limits for what they\u2019re willing to trade off. I didn\u2019t have a problem with <em>Doom<\/em> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/fire-emblem-three-houses-and-wolfenstein-youngblood-teach-the-youth-on-nintendo-switch-1797877\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Wolfenstein<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or <em>Mortal Kombat 11<\/em> on Switch but I found the poor performance in, say, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/review-bloodstained-ritual-of-the-night-is-bloody-awesome-1793265\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Bloodstained<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/mutant-year-zero-and-zombie-driver-are-smart-and-dumb-doomsdays-on-nintendo-switch-1798066\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Mutant Year Zero<\/em><\/a> on Switch too much to bear. Someone else might feel differently about different examples, though. But for me, and surely others based on the Switch&#8217;s success, the added ability of easy and frictionless quick portable play is more often than not a bigger material benefit than some extra technical fidelity I rarely notice or care about unless watching a (however fascinating) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC9PBzalIcEQCsiIkq36PyUA\"  rel=\"noopener\">Digital Foundry<\/a> video. I&#8217;m not saying I don&#8217;t also enjoy seamlessly switching to the TV and using a pro controller. I&#8217;m just saying being completely tethered to a TV is a compromise, too. Folks just aren&#8217;t as used to realizing that.<\/p>\n<p>An objective difference in graphical quality doesn\u2019t mean an objective difference in overall quality if those drawbacks allow for a version in a form players may honestly enjoy more. I\u2019m not playing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/dragon-quest-xi-s-for-nintendo-switch-is-glorious-on-the-go-1806787\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Dragon Quest XI<\/em><\/a>\u00a0on Switch because I\u2019m some poor soul with no other options. I work in an office surrounded by some of the beefiest rigs on the market. I have the current most powerful console in the world, the Xbox One X, that now makes a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/tech\/geek-pick-xbox-elite-series-2-controller-lives-mas-1807413\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">Taco Bell<\/a>\u00a0noise. No, I genuinely prefer playing <em>Dragon Quest XI<\/em> on Switch because I just like the cool intimacy of holding a huge world anywhere in my hands. Handheld gaming has real, proven value. There&#8217;s an entire new nifty retro machine dedicated to celebrating the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/analogue-pocket-saves-the-history-of-handheld-gaming-1807553\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">history of handheld play<\/a>. So I appreciate the Switch bringing those strengths to games you wouldn&#8217;t expect, even if it has to make some sacrifices along the way.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex-video widescreen embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0Uwh7bSsIIY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>That&#8217;s is also why I\u2019ve been loving <em>The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt<\/em> on the handheld. Having heard the highest praise for this game for years, my expectations were pretty steep. And when I first started playing I couldn\u2019t stop hearing Geralt as Solid Snake and noticing all the gameplay systems these later <em>Assassin\u2019s Creed<\/em>\u00a0RPGs ripped off. But I also couldn\u2019t stop admiring the exquisite character writing, deep action role-playing mechanics, shockingly fleshed-out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/the-witchers-gwent-coming-soon-to-mobile-1780331\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Gwent<\/em><\/a> card game side mode, and lush open fantasy worlds to explore for hours and hours. Yes, lush worlds to explore, even on Switch where it\u2019s an uglier yet clearly recognizable (and nicely stable) version of the same massive game.<\/p>\n<p>You can see how <em>The Witcher<\/em> slots in nicely with similar expansive fantasy epics in the Switch\u2019s portfolio like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/doom-skyrim-and-l-a-noire-nintendo-switchs-hardcore-holiday-hitters-1723146\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Skyrim<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/game-of-the-year-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-1690750\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em><\/a>. The appeal of portable play that publishers and players alike saw in those games applies to <em>The Witcher<\/em> as well, even if Geralt\u2019s luscious white hair is a little blurrier when it bounces as you watch him get out of the tub on the smaller tablet screen. It\u2019s details like those that make the gigantic file size of this (and basically every game mentioned in this article) worth it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex-video widescreen embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/i39Pgu_36H0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>The week\u2019s other AAA Switch port, <em>Overwatch<\/em>, is a bit of a trickier proposition. And not just because buying the popular hero shooter means tacitly supporting Blizzard\u2019s recent controversial decisions surrounding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/blizzard-faces-wide-backlash-over-hong-kong-hearthstone-ban-1807143\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">China<\/a>. <em>Overwatch<\/em>\u00a0is a twitchy multiplayer shooter that requires a constant online connection. So you can\u2019t whip it out on a bus. And while I haven\u2019t yet experienced any technical issues, other writers have, including entire colorful character models going missing in the middle of a match. Plus players more hardcore than me are more likely to care about wonkier voice chat and the bump down to 30 FPS, even if the added motion controls makes shooting more precise compared to a controller.<\/p>\n<p>But despite those caveats, the Switch has made me more motivated to casually play <em>Overwatch<\/em> for the first time since launch three years ago, and not just because I wound up liking some of the new characters I missed out on like the cowgirl and the hamster. As the Wii U proved, a handheld device has its positives even when you can\u2019t exactly take the device anywhere. Off-TV play on the GamePad to me was also the biggest selling of the doomed system because I often times found it more comfortable to play in bed or lying down on a couch as opposed to sitting at attention in front of a TV. The Switch obviously has far more freedom than the Wii U. So even with its internet requirements, <em>Overwatch<\/em> also gains a subjective but real qualitative gameplay benefit from being on Switch. I reject the idea that it\u2019s inherently inferior across the board.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex-video widescreen embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ILolesm8kFY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>I understand why some people prefer their Switch games to have no differences period compared to versions on other systems. That&#8217;s the ideal situation. Obviously Nintendo first-party exclusives don\u2019t have this issue. And those Switch ports without compromises do exist, typically in the smaller indie space. I\u2019ve also been playing the brilliant brain-contorting lo-fi murder puzzle game <em>Return of the Obra Dinn<\/em> on Switch, and as far as I can tell it\u2019s the same acclaimed game that launched on PC last year only now on a handheld.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s also totally valid that some people would just rather not play certain games on Switch when there are alternatives they consider superior, especially if they have zero interest in portable play. But when parity isn\u2019t possible, I just want to tell the developers (and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/interview-virtuos-one-bringing-big-games-to-the-small-nintendo-switch-1763861\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">contractors<\/a>) attempting the impossible that their efforts are worthwhile. They aren&#8217;t just making a worse product to cash in on a trend. For players like me, sometimes shrinking down a game can have big potential new benefits.<\/p>\n<h3>Purchase The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Nintendo Switch<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Witcher-3-Wild-Hunt-Nintendo-Switch\/dp\/B07SH3D6HT\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1705462 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.geek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/SEE_IT_HERE_GEEK-1.jpg?resize=178%2C51&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"178\" height=\"51\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/switcher-650x366.png\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\"><\/figure>\n<p>I don&rsquo;t think Sniper Elite 3 is a fantastic game. I think it delivers on the elements it clearly spent most of its effort on, giving players lots of opportunities to snipe Nazis [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/witcher-3-overwatch-and-the-beauty-of-the-impossible-nintendo-switch-port-1807867\/\">&lsquo;Witcher 3,&rsquo; &lsquo;Overwatch,&rsquo; and the Beauty of the Impossible Nintendo Switch Port<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/\">Geek.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/2019\/10\/19\/witcher-3-overwatch-and-the-beauty-of-the-impossible-nintendo-switch-port\/\">\u95b1\u8b80\u5168\u6587 <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"slim_seo":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[2054,2,2047,2206,3375,5722,16,7],"tags":[398,402,397,414,413,410,409,407,478,481,482,480,479,408,406,399,400,394,10,401,396,403,412,411,395,405,404,477],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7prtj-HTt","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168731"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168731"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":168885,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168731\/revisions\/168885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}