Rebirth on the Wii U crashed a lot and took a good second to load doors sometimes, but it was my first, real, step into Isaac and worked good enough. I had a lot of fun with it, until I decided to just move my Isaac play entirely to the PC. Improved Lost and the other nice parts of Afterbirth helped.
I wonder if the Switch port will be any good. I don't really have any reason to play it, but it'd be nice if it was at least decent and didn't crash every so often.
I know this post is a solid 2 years late (2017 when you posted your original comment)...I just happen to be on here, and saw it and I'm probably already telling you something you know (by now) - but incase you dont. The Switch version if vastly superior to the Wii U version (as is the device itself lol). I actually liked the Wii U, but like many - it was a love/hate affair...but I got the Switch in late 2017...a good 8-9 months after its release, and the first game I got for it (was not TLOZ: BOTW), it was actually TBOI: AB+ (I was able to snag a physical copy of the now-hard-to-find brown cover w the bundle 2 packs of stickers, the mini golden manual which is a throw-back a shoutout to the late 80s era of classic gaming manuals ....and the game cartridge as well. The blue cover admittedly is a bit cooler, but does not include the bundled pack of items ,I was insanely lucky to find the game cause I had already hit numerous stores in several trips out...Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Gamestop (2 different locations), even Gamers Paradise (which around here is a local ma&pa store, not a chain retailer...they are inside a Amish Flea Market - where there is a half dozen vendors...and they have great prices on games, both vintage and modern. But of all places, I found a copy of TBOI: AB+ (at my old job, where I worked twice in previous years) as well as where I also found my Nintendo Switch (red/blue bundle system just weeks prior) - of all places (drum-roll) Toys R Us. They were actually (in late 2017/early 2018) in the process of closing down (not entire business, but many of the stores outlets across the country have closed down...the years have not been good to Toys R Us, esp in the age of Amazon & Best Buy. They were in chapter 11/ bankruptcy court (even as I worked there for seasonal/holiday work in 2016). Anyway the guy at Gamestop laughed at me when I asked for a physical Switch copy of TBOI: AB+ (which was a timed exclusive release on Switch in June 2017) esp the limited edition cover, I told him "I know...I know, I was just hoping / against...maybe a miracle could happen...I know that copy of Isaac goes for over $100 online sometimes on Ebay & Amazon...he didn't believe me, till he checked and damned if I was right. But of all places, I found a copy (there was 1 copy of EACH cover/version) behind the glass case / locked at Toys R Us in the back at the electronics dept.
Anyway, that was Dec 2017/Jan 2018- a solid 19 months ago....(and I just checked my nintendo Switch and it says 'The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ - Played for 1,280 hours or more" (IE I'm nearing 1,300 hours...and so far I've only got a few things left to do....all 15 characters unlocked (15/15) including all completion check marks (all 10 for each character, including hard mode check marks, and Greed/Greedier) The Lost & The Keeper & The Forgotten are complete as well. As for the challenges (all 35 unlocked), and all 35 complete (including SPEED !, and Ultra Hard) which many people seem to hate. I wont deny numerous (and numerous is a friendly word) attempts...but like with anything in this game ...it comes down to (more so then luck even) - 1 word: Perseverance - lol I jokingly referred to The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ as The Binding of Isaac: Perseverance+. The guy at the electronics dept at Toys R Us that day after I pointed and asked him to get "that" lol - he then proceeded to tell me the game was on sale (b/c all electronics both hardware & software were on a 10% sale b/c of the going-out-of-business-sale). So what was normally $39.99 - now was $29.99 (and here in Maryland - its 6% sales tax) so....$31.49 total, couldn't complain...I went over to Target (across street) and found the 1 accessory I was looking for...the HORI table-top stand (as I had no intentions of playing with the dock / docking the system) and sure enough 18 - 19 months later (and about 2,000 hours played on system) I still use it (the system) almost exclusively in table-top mode (for awhile, I played in handheld mode). Holding the system wasn't as bad as some people make it out (then again everyone is different)...but in Dec 2018 ( a full year after I got system ) - the Super Smash Bros Ultimate game released for Switch (as well as the Pro Controller / Limited Edition) and I rarely get limited-edition-anything (I never do pre-orders, I never buy DLCs or seasons pass, I usually buy games pre-owned in COMPLETE/GOTY editions w/ all included content..) so as you could imagine it was quite rare for me to actually get a new controller that was limited edition much less...
I went to Gamestop the girl said they hadn't gotten their Smash Bros Pro controllers in (I didn't really care about the game as much, I just wanted a Pro Controller, and I didn't want the original Black Pro Controller, its not a bad controller by any means but why not get the newer model with the improved D-pad, which has a central pivot added underneath ?) its the same with the (previous year Dec 2017 - release of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and the Xenoblade Chronicles Pro Controller) both controllers, released a year apart, both special/limited editions, both have the improved D-pad. I dont even really care / use the d-pad but...the look/aesthetic of the Smash Bros Pro Controller I personally like, and I need one anyway (regardless) so....as I was walking out, not really miffed but...a bit let down considering it was Friday (the day of Smash bros release) and the controller was reported to release along-side...well as I was leaving (I gave the girl my #...for incase they found a copy or got a copy in at some point over weekend) I didn't even get to my car, and pull out of the mall, before I got a call from Gamestop Harford Mall- and the same girl said "Hi Michael...yes this is _____ from Gamestop...I wanted to inform you that in the back/store room we actually did find a dozen deliveries of the Smash Bros Ultimate Pro Switch controller(new) incase you were still in area / or interested" ok...lol - walked back in, slapped $75 (+ tax) -is $10 more then the regular Pro Controller ($65) ...and since then (the last 8 months) I have stopped playing in Handheld mode, now I almost exclusively play in Table-top mode, the HORI table-top stand is so nice, it has 3 adjustment sliders, I always sat the Switch on the stand when I was done playing,back when I played in handheld mode - but NOW I play exclusively in table-top mode (100%) the dock & HDMI cable sits in a drawer, collecting dust...I only play the system in handheld mode when I am going somewhere and take it with me, but as crazy as it sounds, I dont like to take it with me very many places,cause I baby my systems, and (unlike the $150 New 2DS XL / half the price of the Switch)...the Switch feels more expensive, and its newer, and ...well...it IS more expensive...and so as funny as it sounds a system that's main selling point is a "hybrid" that can be a handheld, and on-the-go - I almost never take it anywhere, so I am probably that minority gamer that keeps the Switch AT home, yet doesn't play in DOCKED or HANDHELD, almost always in table-top (from here on out) the Joy-cons are fine (despite some issues with drifting which seem to be universal, and theres an easy fix for that). But ever since getting that Pro Controller, yea....its so much nicer...its like "i'm never going back" sorta thing.
So (apologies for long run on) but...basically thats my setup as of now (and will prob be from here on out) now with the recent news update (and unveiling) of the Switch"lite" I may be just that person that would actually BUY 2 Switch's - 1 (the original & more expensive model) for home/table-top gaming...plug n play / hop in/ hop out. And the other (cheaper,strictly handheld variant) for on-the-go-gaming, esp since Bowser has already stated that they will have some sort of cloud/digital implementation for cross-system play...(IE go from playing a game at home on OG Switch in table-top mode, to getting up and leaving on a road trip, and taking $200 Switch lite on the go, and not having any interruption in game play, picking up where I left off, saves & everything).
That would be perfect, I rarely use social media, and rarely read comments (in reddit, facebook, youtube, etc) and I can imagine the Switch-lite unveiling is prob getting 80% negativity (as usual with most things) tons of YT uploads of "impression" videos, and vloggers ranting about it being an unnecessary piece of equipment (lol I could say the same about the Xbox One X, but do I complain?) no....I own them all too (PS4 Pro, New 2DS XL, Nintendo Switch, Wii U, X360, Xbox One X, Desktop PC ::ASUS::, Phone & Tablet) admittedly the last two (phone & tablet) I don't use for gaming...not into freemium/auto-runners & iOS crap, phone & tablet are strictly for data/browsing/411/work. PC is for that as well (and some gaming) I use my last-gen Wii U Pro Controller and a blue-tooth connection and a 3rd party software (WiiNuSoft) to play Steam games on PC using Wii U Pro Controller, or I just hook up my Xbox One adapter and use the Xbox One Elite Controller (I have so many controllers it aint funny) from the Wii-mote/nunchuck collecting dust to...the Smash Bros Pro Controller and Dual Shock 4, to several keyboards, etc. But I'm a dual-thumbstick kind of guy. always have been. I've played other great games on the Switch as well....Celeste (completed, 20 hours) Hollow Knight (111% completion, 130 hours), Dead Cells (120 hours, near completion as of current content), TLOZ: BOTW (220 hours played, both DLC packs, all shrines, screw getting all the korok seeds though...no real point, but otherwise I did everything else), Axiom Verge, Hyper Light Drifter, Enter the Gungeon, Salt & Sanctuary, The Messenger, Owlboy, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Xeodrifter, A Robot Named Fight, End is Nigh (another McMillen title), (I have super Meat boy on my last gen X360...XBLA...and after a year or so of playing, I got Golden god - 110% - including all Cotton Alley Light & dark world levels all A+, all unlockables, all bandages). And I destroyed End is Nigh...so its basically just TBOI left to complete. I do a mix of physical/digital, AAA and indie...all devices, I dont discriminate, and I don't do fanboy[ism]. And after 31-32 years of gaming (since the late 80s when the NES was the current hardware - my first device was a Atari 2600-hand-me-down from older sister though)...PCs, laptops, desktops, dial-up (AOL days), Diablo....Warcraft: Orcs vs Humans (floppy disc days), C&C: Red Alert, PSX era, GB era, GBC era, SNES & N64...all the way up through 2000s, and Plasmas, and flip phones, and Gamecube and PS2, and Game-Gear, and PSP, DS, DSi XL, PS3 & Xbox 360 (several 360s over the years as most people have, 13 years with the same Xbox Live account) PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, currently...and black berries, and smartphones, chromebooks, and smartphones. FHD, becomesQuad HD becomes 4k, becomes 8k. CD, DVD, Blu-ray DVD, 4k Ultra Blu-ray/violet....whats next lol
I know I'm off topic, by alot...apologies (wasn't meaning to troll or make your eyes bleed) - just so rarely comment. Or even get involved....(the rock I stay under has alot of bugs, so I needed to get out a bit ...lol)...as for Isaac though on Switch (oh yea that very topic at hand, before I went all ADD and got side-tracked) ...well it runs great on the Switch...I mean great....crashes ? well so far in (as I said nearly 1,300 hours) 2 crashes, and "1" of which was when I saved game, logged out real quick and hours later logged back in and it had a error, and closed out...that was the only time / worse thing thats happened in 18 months of play. Quite literally...and the thing is I've seen TBOI on other platforms (PS4, on a large regular sized 49" Sony UHD TV, average modern HD/UHD TV) and I've seen TBOI on Steam on PC (on a 28" Asus PC monitor in 2018) and I've seen it on PS Vita Slim (up close about 9 months ago)...and personally I like the smaller screen of the Switch. For 1 big reasons, indie games (that are heavily pixelated, or sprite-based) tend to look washed out on larger screens...on smaller (condensed) screens (doesn't matter if its LCD, LED, etc) it always tends to look better, more natural - the colors POP, more defined.
Maybe I'm a bit biased & jaded here when I say this...esp after (well over 1,000 hours) on 1 system...but I have seen Isaac on other platforms, on larger more standard TV's, and gaming monitors, and while it was more then serviceable (and prob ran just fine) - it just doesn't look as (and I use this word, for a lack of a better definiton/word) - "sharp" - on my Switch, with my reading glasses on, sitting only 1 foot from the table-top stand (I was hoping I could take a picture of my (basic, but working) setup in my room, with my phone, upload it to my desktop PC, and then upload the picture to this forum...so you could see what I mean, the picture looks good (its HD naturally) but I'm a bit far away from the Switch screen, so it doesn't look as clear/sharp (as it does for me in real-time) naturally. But I'll link up a photo below, this is literally my setup, you can see my legs at the bottom, I'm sitting on my bed (which is directly infront of the little wooden table (I have a small 32" RCA 1080p/2017 HDTV, nothing special...but serves its purpose, I have a pS4 Pro & Xbox one X hooked up to it, and 3rd HDMI is the Direct TV mini-DV-R receiver. Switch (of course) since It's in table top mode, doesn't need a HDMI input....and my phone & tablet, of course don't hook up to anything, and my Wii U & X360 are unhooked sitting in a drawer collecting dust. It's basically just the "main 3" devices I have hooked up right now, off in the corner (out of photo) is my ASUS desktop PC, and my walk-in closet....its a small room, and theres a small table BEHIND my TV (where the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X sit, 2 feet away or so)...but where I lay my head ? its perfect, I can rise out of bed, Grab the Smash Bros Pro controller, PRESS the HOME button (and my Switch stays in SLEEP mode, so I can launch the system literally instantaneously and within 2-3 seconds, at the bare-bones UI...(which some complain about, but personally I love it, the very thing that people cry & moan about with Nintendo..having a lack of Apps & Features, streaming services, friends lists, messengers, etc - ) well that is the very reason for me that I like them. I realize people play online nowadays (and I have wiFi just like everyone else) but I'm just not big into online gaming (esp nowadays) I've done my fair share in previous years/decades...but I've burned myself out, almost 90% of all games I play are single-player/offline (and if they DO have online/multiplayer features, I don't utilize them, and being I dont play sports games, and I'm not big into E-sports, or fighting or competitive games (racing, RTS, sports, FPS) i mean...I've PLAYED FPS, and some racing and fighting in past years, but they've always been my least favorite/interested genres. ARPGS, dungeon crawlers, action/adventure, open world ARPGS, RPGS (in general), Metroidvanias (and all the varying sub-genres in the platformer genre) are my preferred type
of games, be it AAA OR Indie.
So I realize (and I agree) Nintendo is draconian when it comes to their business & online services...but they h ave it where it counts, making SOLID games (that MOST of them time - run relatively well, out-of-box, very few single player bugs, FUN games, and they have 15-17 certified franchises of which to pull from)....so....if their P2P or Dedicated servers suck, or if they have those dreaded friends codes, and seem to be ass backwards about certain online aspects/mechanics (I get it) but....I just dont care, as I am enjoying games LIKE (Isaac, alone, single player) hundreds n hundreds of hours, thousands even. And the Switch is the perfect little hop in / hop out - gaming device, and with a Switch Lite (on the way in later 2019) and possibly STILL a Switch Pro / XL variant (at some point) in 2020...hopefully...well thats an entire family of devices....and the Switch is already starting to "near" 37.5 -40 million in global sales by Summer(2019) - when just 8 months ago it had sold 32 million copies. So it just continues to gain momentum...the Wii U failed(from a business / sales / profitability) perspective simply b/c of 1 thing (if you ask me) - lack of an IDENTITY (the same thing ReviewTechUSA,Kotaku, Giant Bomb, Rock Paper Shotgun, Digital Foundry and host of other services/sites have said/stated. It sold 12 million units from 2012-2019 (7 year shelf-life, which is about average for any regular device)...by comparison - the Switch is (just over 2 years old, IE 27 months old...) and has sold OVER 35 million global copies. Another year ? 2 more (at the very least 1 more) new device ? a few big games (Super Mario Maker 2 is eating up the internets bandwidth...LOL that game has ALREADY out-sold the original in less then a month....hell its only been out for...what ? a week ? 10 days ? lol - And with Pokemon Sword & Shield, as well as The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening coming in September (not to mention it will have chalice chamber'd dungeons, which will in essence allow / make the game become a"Super Zelda Maker" -of course to make that assertion, we need more details, and see how deep that feature/mechanic gets. And then we've got Animal Crossing in 2020, Metroid (in the future beyond that), as well as another full-featured/mainline Zelda title (a sequel to Breath of the wild) and there is deep rumblings about continued support of Smash Bros Ultimate, Splatoon 2, and Super Mario Maker 2 ( which could easily extend the life of those games & corresponding hardware by several years). 2020, 2021, 2022, etc. Indie games run great (almost always) on the Switch, and its already been stated - that MOST of them run & look better then the Wii U's version.
Not all games run great on the Switch - naturally the more "demanding" games (ahem Witcher 3) - are going to be scaled down....that kind of game I would NOT buy on the Switch, I love my Switch (far more then I ever did the Wii U) but....my god...that kind of game....I would rather run on Xbox One X / PS4 Pro (or PC). But Nintendo exclusives ? indies (galore) ? - those are the kinds of games that run good/solid on the Switch, well..most of them anyway, zif you even remotely pay attention to gaming news online...you probably h ave been hearing about that recent release "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night" (which released simultaneously on multiple modern platforms) ...and the Switch version has far more bugs and issues/performance wise on the Switch (which hopefully will get ironed out, but thats sad to know). Isaac on the other hand, is the COMPLETE opposite, it runs QUITE well, by far - better then the Vita OR Wii U version. Infact I would (and several of my friends would back me up on this) - call this version, the "definitive" version of Isaac, I have the opposite feelings that you do...you said 2 years ago in 2017 "it would be nice to see how it runs, but I have no reason to play it on that system" in summary - and thats fine, I respect that b/c hell you've already prob spent ALOT of time on PC version. But for any new player, who owns a Switch, or WANTS a Switch...and wants to play Isaac, I would 100% recommend it. A definite buy....even if you are double dipping but transferring over to the Switch as a main system. I wished (back when the Switch released in early 2017, all the way through 2018) that the Switch would of HAD Cloud-storage from the get-go...cause after spending X amount of time with the game...I realized if (IF) something happened, a system bricking, or stolen, or (you know anything)....I can replace hardware, at some point...and I can replace software (game cartridge, etc) but I cannot (or will not, do not) want to replace MULTIPLE 100s of hours lol. So I was sorta nervous everytime I launched the Switch out of sleep mode (hence why I said earlier I baby the system, and I wipe t he screen down daily, sometimes multiple times, + I keep it at home, and keep it clean, relatively dust-free, in room temperature, and I have never you know pushed up on it, dropped it, etc. So...I baby it basically- I could see myself being a bit more "loose" and less restrictive with a New 2DS XL ($150) or a New 3DS XL ($200) or the upcoming Switch Lite ($200) ....I feel despite the .67 " (3/4 of an inch) smaller screen, which isnt much - its still worth the price of admission. I'm sure Isaac will run great on the upcoming hardware too...i mean its basically the same thing, just smaller, AND has a dedicated D-pad (thank the lord for those that want it)...you deserve it. lol
So Isaac LOOKS & runs good, very good on Switch, only 1 real error/crash (and I was able to immediately launch back INTO game, in less then 20 seconds) so...I really have no complaints...it runs well, and with headphones = deep bass, sounds good...I can just tune in, turn out & disconnect from reality, and the game is addictive, for me TBOI: AB+ on Nintendo Switch, in table-top mode, 1 foot from my bed with a Pro Controller and a HORi table top stand and a pair of headphones = feels like the ultimate/preferred setup. Like the game was tailor-made for the Switch. I'm sorry that it didn't work out quite "as well" for the Wii U, I'm sure any version of this game (cause lets face it, its not that demanding of a game spec-wise lol) this isn't AC: Odyssey or AC Origins, or Bloodborne. or (what have you). It's a cute, yet disgusting, pixelated, twin stick shooter, isometric, dungeon crawler w/ RNG. And can prob run on your damn Texas Instruments calculator (if Edmund really wanted it to) lol. But it feels right for the Switch...it wont CONVERT anyone who already owns the game on another platform - but for those interested, yes it does run & look good..and I have 3 friends (including 1 nephew, 1 cousin, and 1 close-long-time-friend, who ALL own the physical game, and play it, on the regular like myself, and love it on the Switch). It has all the updated content, all the Booster Packs, and DLC...including the recent BP 4 & 5 (And the Antibirth mod).
Anyway the nice thing about my setup is....the AC adapter that plugs directly into the Switch (and I keep it plugged into Switch, as I so very rarely move the system) so...I can just keep it 100% charged (since overcharging is a thing of the past, an d nothing to fear in todays tech) - but what is nice is...the Pro Controller (which only needs to be charged once a week) it holds a nice long 60-70 hour charge. Well when I start to loose a charge, I just unplug the AC adapter from system, and plug it into the controller, once controller is finished (and light goes off) I just unplug from controller, and re-plug / re-insert the AC adapter back into Switch system. My nephew still plays in handheld mode, he bought the SATISFYE gaming grip (which is by far the nicest gaming grip on the market, and I wold shamelessly plug/promote it, IF I didn't already have a pro controller, and playing in table-top mode). I have big sausage link/hands...so the bigger your hands the better the SATISFYE gaming grip becomes. I am addicted to this game ....even no matter how pissed I get at a run (or sequence or runs)...I always take a break, and within the hour or 2...back at it. 11pm at night "just gonna do 1-2 more runs see what I can get"...3am, red-eyes, 4 hours later, I'm 52 minutes into a crazy run, all lazer sharp focus. I have toadmit, very few games hook/have hooked me like this game.
That should answer your question (lol).
Again sorry for the massive -30-page story.
Good day,
Mike