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Vodacixi on 10 January 2022
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mjk45 said:
Vodacixi said:

Being able to access the map and do inventory management on the fly was incredibly useful to me in many games. Also, the dual screen concept made possible some incredibly unique experiences that ended up as some of my favourite games ever like The World Ends With You, Hotel Dusk, Rhythm Heaven or both NDS Zeldas. Yes, I love those and I think they are better for using the touchscreen.

But to each their own I guess...

I remember after finishing  Xenoblade Chronicles X thinking about how important mapping was and its reliance on the second screen.

Yes, Xenoblade X is a great example of how important having the map always displayed can contribute to a better experience. Wind Waker HD is another example. Having the Sea Chart always available while I sailed the Great Sea was incredibly convenient and useful. Hyrule Warriors was better for it too. Being able to always follow the changes on the battlefield in real time on a big detailed map instead of a tiny minimap or by stopping the game not only made everything more fluid, but improved the decisions the player could make. Splatoon also benefited from the second screen in a similar way to Hyrule Warriors, but also made Squid Jumping far quicker than in the sequel.

I'm not complaining the Switch is lacking a second screen as I think the return to a more traditional control scheme and form factor brought more benefits than loses. But it is clear that we lost some very good things along the way, and the Wii U ports on any other systems are proof of it.