Eight Nintendo Switch games I'm looking forward to playing in 2018

Although I am by no means finished buying or playing 3DS or Vita games, there's little doubt in my mind that most of the money I spend on this hobby in 2018 will be directed toward Switch titles.

The eight Switch games discussed here aren't the only ones I'm looking forward to playing this year, by the way. They're just the ones I'm most itching to experience.

As such, don't be surprised if I eventually publish a follow-up post to this one that details some of the other Switch titles I hope to tackle by the time 2019 rolls around.



Bayonetta 2--I wish I could tell you why I've yet to try the first Bayonetta title. I've had an Xbox 360 for years, after all. The best explanation I can offer up is Microsoft's second console has never quite clicked with me, and as a result I've rarely felt like buying games for it. (The only retail Xbox 360 game I currently own is Deadly Premonition.) Well, I'll soon have my chance to try both the original Bayonetta and its sequel, and you can bet I'm going to take advantage of it. Here's hoping I find the gameplay in these titles as fabulously appealing as their saucy protagonist.



Dark Souls: Remastered--Here's another widely heralded game I've long ignored because of my lack of love for the Xbox 360 (and my lack of a PS3, period). That's not a comment on my interest in the title, though. In fact, I've wanted to see what all the fuss was about since Dark Souls first made a splash in 2011. Thanks to Namco Bandai's decision to bring the recently announced "remastered" version of the game to Switch, I'll be able to do just that this coming spring. What do you think: will I enjoy it, or will it completely overwhelm me?



Dragon Quest Builders 2--I considered writing about the upcoming Switch port of the first Dragon Quest Builders here, but I've chatted about that game (which I pre-ordered as soon as Amazon allowed it) enough on line, so let's talk about its in-the-works sequel. To be honest, I don't know much about it at the moment. As long as Dragon Quest Builders 2 offers up a few new twists on the original's charming, Minecraft-esque gameplay, though, I doubt I'll regret my purchase.



Gal Metal!--What can I say? I tend to like music and rhythm games. I even enjoyed Wii Music, for crying out loud. That lack of taste (some might say, at least) may serve me well after my copy of this curious import arrives on our doorstep in a few weeks. Although there's little question Gal Metal! looks great, there are a lot of questions surrounding its gameplay, which appears eerily similar to the much-maligned Wii game mentioned earlier. Granted, the move-your-Joy-Cons-like-drum-sticks controls at the center of Gal Metal! should be far more accurate than the ones showcased in Wii Music, but that doesn't mean they'll be fun. Oh, well, even if the game disappoints, I'll still have a snazzy piece of cover art to ogle.

Eight North American and Japanese Vita games I'm planning to buy (and play) later in 2016 or as soon as possible in 2017

The recent unveiling of the Switch did more than prompt me to contemplate all the things I may or may not be able to do with Nintendo's next console after I get my hands on one next March.

It also prompted me to contemplate all the non-Switch games I'm planning to pick up between now and then--and perhaps even after.

As the headline above hopefully makes clear, this post focuses on the many Japanese and North American Vita titles that I'm aiming to buy (and obviously play) later in 2016 or at some point in 2017.

A follow-up post that'll be published in a couple of days will cover the Vita games I'm considering buying during the same period of time, while a later post will tackle the slew of North American and Japanese 3DS games that are likely to land on my doorstep in the coming six months or so.



2064: Read Only Memories--It's kind of weird (some might say sad) that I'm starting this list with a port that may never see the light of day, isn't it? After all, developer MidBoss "indefinitely delayed" the Vita version of this LGBTQ-inclusive cyberpunk adventure a couple of months ago. Still, I'm holding out hope it'll eventually be released, as I'm desperate to play it and I really don't want to have to do it using my MacBook.



Crypt of the NecroDancer--I salivated over this game from the time it was first announced to the time it hit the Vita early in 2016. (It was a messy year or two, I admit.) So why have I dragged my feet in terms of buying it? Because I've barely turned on my Vita or played any of its games this year, that's why. That's not a rip on Sony's second handheld or its catalog of titles, by the way; the fact is I've simply been too busy and too stressed out this year to play more than the occasional 3DS or retro game. Thankfully, things will be much different next year--hell, they may be much different in a few days--so don't be surprised if I start chatting about this curious mash-up of the rhythm and roguelike genres sooner rather than later.



Dragon Quest Builders--Of all the "definitely buying later this year or early next" games discussed in this post, this Minecraft clone is the one I want the most. The main reason for that, I've got to sheepishly admit, is that it looks amazing. I especially love how Square Enix's artists have translated Akira Toriyama's character designs into 3D. On top of its delicious visuals, though, Dragon Quest Builders also seems like a ton of fun.



The Longest 5 Minutes--I already have the Japanese version of this weird Nippon Ichi title (known as World's Longest 5 Minutes on that side of the pond), which is one part RPG and one part visual novel. Oh, and let's not forget the two parts gorgeous 8-bit-esque graphics. Still, I'm thinking of double-dipping (NIS America announced in August it's prepping an English release for sometime in 2017), as I doubt the text in the Japanese original will make much sense to me anytime soon.



Princess wa Kane no Mouja--If the name to the left has you scratching your head, how about The Princess is Money-Hungry? The latter is the former loosely translated into English. For more information on it, check out these posts I published about it in August. Anyway, don't expect me to pre-order Princess wa Kane no Mouja or even pick it up shortly after it hits the streets in Japan late next month. Not only won't I have the time or attention span for it until early 2017, but I'd like to give NIS America a chance to announce a Western release before biting the bullet. (Of course, I may purchase a boxed Japanese copy regardless, as I have a feeling a North American version will be digital-only.)



New Danganronpa V3--Surely NIS America will bring this latest entry in Spike Chunsoft's series of horror-tinged visual novels to Western shores, right? Assuming that's the case, I'll definitely add it to my surprisingly extensive collection of Vita games as soon as is possible--despite the fact that I've yet to finish the first Danganronpa or even start the second.



Shiren The Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate--Although I placed a pre-order for this portable roguelike as soon as I was able to do so a few months ago, I canceled it just before release when I realized I wouldn't be able to play it anytime soon. I've seen so many positive tweets about it since then, though, that now I'm kicking myself for passing on it. So, the current plan is to convince someone in my life to buy it for me as a birthday or Christmas present. If that doesn't pan out, I'll buy it for myself.



VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action--What do we have here? Yes, another in-limbo Vita port of an indie PC game I'm absolutely itching to play. And this one's supposedly getting a (limited, I'm guessing) physical release, which is making the wait seem even more interminable. I guess the good news here is I think the VA-11 HALL-A Vita port is more likely to happen than the 2064: Read Only Memories Vita port, so at least I'll probably get to play one of these curiosities before the end of 2017.

Are any of you also looking to purchase one or more of these Japanese or North American Vita games in the coming months? If so, which ones?

If you've already played some of these titles, by the way, please let me (and others) know what you thought of them in the comments section below.

CIB Sunday: World’s Longest 5 Minutes Limited Edition (Vita)

When the recently released Nippon Ichi-made Vita game World’s Longest 5 Minutes--aka Sekaiichi Nagai 5 Funkan or 世界一長い5分間--was first announced, I planned on buying it via my favorite import shop, AmiAmi.

The game's art style and mishmash of genres--it's part old-school RPG and part visual novel--really appealed to me. Plus, I was pretty sure copies would be cheap, much like Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna and Roze to Tasogare no Kojou.

Actually, they were--and are. Or at least that's true of the vanilla version of World’s Longest 5 Minutes. Once I became aware of the game's limited edition, though, I quickly switched gears and set my sights on that release.

Fast forward a few months and I'm absolutely thrilled I changed my mind and spent a tad more money on the Sekaiichi Nagai 5 Funkan LE.

If you're wondering why that is, well, keep scrolling through this post. It shouldn't take you long to realize why I'm so stoked about owning it.



Before we get too far, I should let you know what's included in this particular LE package. Snuggled within the lovely outer box showcased in the snapshots above and below are: a copy of World’s Longest 5 Minutes, a soft-cover book of some sort, a two-CD soundtrack and a small, tri-fold desk calendar.

All of this limited edition's "innards" are well worth slobbering over, of course, but let's first spend a couple of seconds ogling that outer box I mentioned in the last sentence. 

Each side edge features pixel-art depictions of what I assume are this Vita title's main characters. Oh, and when you open the box, you reveal the slightly more detailed representations seen below. 

The fun continues inside the World’s Longest 5 Minutes box. Nestled within one of the cutest retro-RPG cityscapes I've seen in a while is a copy of the game.

Here's another look at the aforementioned cityscape, in case any of you are curious:

And here's a look at the back of the World’s Longest 5 Minutes game case:

As for the rest of what's packed inside this limited edition, here's the "soft-cover book of some sort" I eluded to early on in this post:



I say it's a "book of some sort," by the way, because I'm honestly not sure what it is or what it's supposed to be. Before I opened it, I assumed it was an art book, but the first half of it is mostly text. That text doesn't appear to provide tips or tricks or hints to would-be players, though, so maybe it talks about the game's development or something like that?



Regardless, the last few pages of this Sekaiichi Nagai 5 Funkan booklet offer up some nice illustrations and pixel art that make the whole thing worthwhile.



Finally, hidden beneath the game case, the soft-cover book and the two-CD soundtrack (sorry, I didn't like the snapshot I took of it so I'm leaving it out; I'll take another soon and toss it onto my Flickr photostream) is a lovely little tri-fold desk calendar.



I've yet to set up this calendar, or even take a peek at its pages, but I can assure you I'll rectify that shortly--and when I do, I'll take a photo of it and either share it via Flickr or Instagram.

That's basically it--unless you're dying to see the back of this Vita LE's outer box. If you are, take a gander at the photo above.

Much like the rear of the World’s Longest 5 Minutes game case, the reverse side of its outer box isn't anything to shout about, but every other aspect of this limited edition is so grand that I'm not going to complain.

See also: previous posts about World’s Longest 5 Minutes plus previous 'CIB Sunday' posts

Oh, hey, did you hear? NIS America will release World’s Longest 5 Minutes (Vita) in North America sometime next year

Well, color me surprised. NIS America recently revealed--in rather shocking fashion, I might add--it'll bring Nippon Ichi's World’s Longest 5 Minutes to my neck of the woods in 2017.

What will this intriguing Vita title, which combines the RPG and visual novel genres, be called when it hits North America? The Longest 5 Minutes.

Both titles make a lot of sense after you read through this summary of its story: "Our hero faces the origin of all evil, the Overlord himself, but suddenly loses all memories of his adventure. His finishing moves, the name of his hometown, and even the reason he's trying to defeat the Overlord in the first place, all gone. Our hero tries to regain his priceless memories before it's too late, but the Overlord stands before him, his power unyielding!"

As much as this news thrills me, it also pains me a bit. That's because I just--as in yesterday--paid for the limited edition version of World’s Longest 5 Minutes I pre-ordered via AmiAmi ages ago.



Oh, well, at least I'll get to enjoy all of the swag that comes with the Japanese LE--such as a two-CD soundtrack, some sort of book (kikakusho?) and a desk calendar. Plus, I'll have a physical copy of the game (even if it is in a language I can barely understand at the moment).

I'd love to say NIS America will offer up a similarly stuffed LE to folks on this side of the pond, but at the moment the publisher's lips are sealed in that regard. Hell, it's yet to say if The Longest 5 Minutes will be a digital-only release or if boxed copies will be sold as well.

While we wait for more information, check out the game's first English trailer (above or here). You may want to heck out its official site, too. There's not much to see at the latter right now, but that should change in due time.

Are any of you planning to add The Longest 5 Minutes to your Vita collections? If so, what pushed you in the direction?

See also: 'Nippon Ichi just announced what appears to be a Half-Minute Hero rip-off for Vita, and I'm more than OK with it'