No STAR WARS at all on Nintendo Switch

[Flojomojo]

I like Star Wars, I like video games, and I really like Star Wars video games.

 

There isn't a single one on the Switch. This is really weird to me. There used to be a healthy flow of SW content on Nintendo systems, and now there are none. Not even a LEGO game or pinball table.

 

I guess I should be happy we have Starlink, Everspace, and Galaxy on Fire, but wouldn't it be nice to see Rogue Squadron (or even something better) again?

[simbalion]

When you think about it, all the steady supply of Star Wars games for Nintendo happened while Lusasfilm was still owned by George Lucas. Remember, it's owned by the evil empire, erm, Disney now. There's a possibility Disney and Nintendo aren't on good terms for some reason or Disney has a deal with other platforms.

[Flojomojo]

I think Disney overextended itself with digital a few years ago (Disney Infinity in particular) but now they've over corrected to almost nothing except for the annual giant EA game, keeping SWTOR going, and a few small things on mobile.

 

I'm surprised Switch hasn't even received the mobile port of Knights of the Old Republic. I wonder if they're holding back for something special?

[Tanooki]

I'd blame EA, don't they have an exclusive contract for another year or few with Disney? Those bastards have been hanging out NIntendo to try since the WiiU came out. Old releases, buggy releases, skipping many releases, yet lying to NIntendo owners about getting support buying their crap, then when they do, they don't, and when they don't they play the justified angle and walk.

 

They're still doing that now with the Switch which is insane if you look at what little they put out. They put out lesser quality releases missing modes easily included, also releasing them as buggy bad as some 2K games were, then they get all snotty again when the fans call them out on their shit about the release omissions and bugs like they're above criticism. I imagine they feel if people won't just take their shovel fed dumpster fire releases, they don't deserve the other IP stuff including Star Wars.

 

 

Honestly I'd rather just EA go away. You hit it well. Starlink is stunning, Everspace is a fantastic rogue-like shooter, and the Galaxy on Fire franchise is fantastic as well. Sure Star Wars would be nice, but look at what they've sold for years now with the license. Stuff that got a lot of fans pissed off over lootboxes and other exploitation level stuff, plus EA forces people to use their own network for games which Nintendo sure as hell won't be likely to be cool with. Star Wars under the EA license is about as anti-NIntendo friendly as it can get by design and nature of what EA did with it.

 

 

Back on it, exactly a year ago there were stories that Disney was quietly fishing around for a company to replace EA in contract for Star Wars games. Apparently they're fed up with the lootbox bad press and their general designs of the stuff they've done.

https://screenrant.com/disney-star-wars-ea-games/ Also Jade Raymond quit 6mo ago sick of how EA was handling the SW license and she was the one driving projects that were beyond battlefront lootbox stupidity leaving them without a lead for a time with a fill in. https://www.geek.com/games/jade-raymond-leaves-ea-star-wars-video-games-as-lost-as-star-wars-movies-1757434/

[Shannon]

I'm more interested in that linked article ( 30 franchises that EA ruined ) in the linked article ( Disney Might Replace EA for New Star Wars Games )...

[roots.genoa]

I like Star Wars, I like video games, and I really like Star Wars video games.

 

There isn't a single one on the Switch. This is really weird to me. There used to be a healthy flow of SW content on Nintendo systems, and now there are none. Not even a LEGO game or pinball table.

 

I guess I should be happy we have Starlink, Everspace, and Galaxy on Fire, but wouldn't it be nice to see Rogue Squadron (or even something better) again?

At the time there was a 'healthy flow of SW content on Nintendo systems', there also was a healthy flow of movie-licensed games on every system. Nowadays development time is too long for games to be released at the same time as a film. That's why we've seen more Marvel games on mobiles for the past few years...

And yes, as Tanooki pointed out, EA never really cared about Nintendo. Actually, like most western developpers, they release very few games on handheld systems. They were supposed to support the Wii U though, but it never happened. Nobody knows exactly why, but according to rumours they were supposed to (help) create Wii U's online service...

[simbalion]

I forgot all about the EA angle... Bleah...

[ubersaurus]

And to be fair most of those Lucasarts Star Wars games of the 2000s were terrible. Rogue Squadron and kotor were exceptions, not the rule.

[Flojomojo]

Yes, I generally agree. I enjoyed the Starfighter games (they actually hold up better than Rogue Squadron) and am mildly pissed there hasn't been a good pure space dogfighting game in the Star Wars universe since.

[+Cafeman]

The LEGO SW games were pretty decent. I'd love a redo of Rebel Strike / Rogue Leader with more polished gameplay and modern graphics. And some Ep7/ Ep8 stages.

[digdugnate]

i've always felt a proper X-Wing / Tie Fighter remake would be awesome- keep the same basic mechanics of flight as the old PC games, but jazz em up with those hi-falutin' hi res 3d sprites or something.

[Tanooki]

There was a remaster of all 3 Rogue Squadron games, finished (or nearly so) no less meant for the Wii or WiiU, but Lucas/Disney decided to be a-holes about it and the game never was allowed to make it out. Factor5 was fairly angry and upset about it, so they revealed the game a year or two(or so) ago ratting out the entire thing and showing lots of game footage captured and it looked insanely good.

 

 

https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/11/10/factor-5-president-would-love-to-see-rogue-leader-on-nintendo-switch

 

The IGN part has the big reveal from the head of Factor5 in a sit down interview that runs at the top of that page.

Edited January 20, 2019 by Tanooki

[Phantom_of_Krankor]

i've always felt a proper X-Wing / Tie Fighter remake would be awesome- keep the same basic mechanics of flight as the old PC games, but jazz em up with those hi-falutin' hi res 3d sprites or something.

 

I would love to see something like this, as I'm sure a lot of other people would too. Unfortunately I don't see how they'd cram it full of micro-transactions, so I'm not holding my breath on them developing it.

[AtariLeaf]

Disney NEEDS to take the license away from EA. I'm surprised it already hasn't happened. They NEED to bring the old Lucasarts back and if a modern X-Wing/Tie Fighter ever sees the light of day it would be glorious. I enjoy Battlefront II for what it is but I don't enjoy online play so what I get is very thin. More story driven, linear gameplay please. The glory days of Lucasarts was some of the best gaming on any platform in any decade period.

Edited January 21, 2019 by AtariLeaf

[Flojomojo]

i've always felt a proper X-Wing / Tie Fighter remake would be awesome- keep the same basic mechanics of flight as the old PC games, but jazz em up with those hi-falutin' hi res 3d sprites or something.

It's coming.

https://www.moddb.com/mods/xwvm

It really should be out by now ...I follow the FB group and they seem to be chasing unimportant scope creep and throwing the kitchen sink in there, but people in the alpha test say it looks good.

 

1990s LucasArts was lightning in a bottle, it was an amazing group of people who have all left to do their own projects. I think one of the best things that happened to them was not having access to the Star Wars license at first, which forced them to make interesting new IP.

[digdugnate]

oh wow, those screenshots look cool!

[JBerel]

I couldn't even finish watching the Factor 5 video. Too pissed about it. It's unbelievable a company can invest to much into a project, and because it's tied to a license, some douchebag suit gets to shelve it. Someone somewhere must make that available in some form to the world. The original Rougue Squadron games are still among my favorite replays, and ironically, they are the ones that don't emulate well for long term preservation. The entire gaming landscape has changed so much for the worse. I'm afraid we won't see the revolutionary games we once did because the entire industry is just focused on conning millineals out of money with no attention to quality. I couldn't even get into SW Battlefront 2 at all, and I regret paying for it. EA and Disney can pound sand.

 

Adding frustration and salt to the wound, that XWing mod has been discussed for years. It was announced long before the 2016 info post and it doesn't look like it will ever be released. Hell, we finally got the xwing games released on GOG before that damn thing has seen light of day. Just sounds like a lot of talk with little follow through.

Edited January 21, 2019 by JBerel

[Flojomojo]

I made it through that IGN video, and I think I see why they thought they should leave it on the shelf. By this point, we had seen these levels quite a few times -- in Rogue Squadron on the N64, in the GameCube launch game Rogue Leader, and the less-than-awesome GameCube sequel Rebel Strike. Much of Rebel Strike felt like a rehash of Rogue Leader and the on-foot segments weren't great. This would have been yet another attempt at releasing the same stuff, this time with motion controls. Basta!

 

Factor 5 went bankrupt after poor sales of LAIR on PS3, a middling quality fantasy take on Rogue Squadron but with dragons, and mandatory motion control for a long time until they patched it to use conventional controls as an option. They issued a "reviewer's guide" because they were getting savaged for the unconventional controls. The reception reminded me of Space Giraffe; the games-buying public has trouble with new ideas. (I loved Space Giraffe, I wanted to love LAIR but did not).

 

I have seen videos of "X-Wing vs TIE Fighter II" for the Wii around the same time. It wasn't released, either. How we got Lightsaber Duels and Kinect Star Wars instead are kind of a mystery. The Jedi Knight games got less and less interesting to me as they became more lightsaber-focused. Man was KOTOR a breath of fresh air.

 

Battlefront and Battlefront II were around the same time as the Wii launch, big multiplayer toy sets with a lot more crossover appeal. I think those were the best selling Star Wars games ever, so that was probably a good choice. At least those had some starfighter action. My favorite part of those is taking off from your hangar, flying over to fsck up the enemy's capital ship, then going into their hangar to shoot up their reactor, LOL.

 

The modern Battlefront games are beautiful to look at, but they just don't grab my imagination in the same way. I want more starfighter stuff, which feels like escapist fantasy, and way less infantry combat, which feels realistic and scary and oppressive and horrible.

 

I would love an all-flying, campaign-focused, fun design type Star Wars game, with or without a multiplayer component. Put Illumination Games on it, their "Skies of Fury" games are sweet. Personally, I would like it on mobile and Switch, because that's where I like my games, but I understand that my preferences aren't shared by everyone. Which is really what it's all about ... the boring-to-me mainstream shoot-em-in-the-head games are what sells. Spacey flight sims, less so.