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Nintendo Switch could have a rocky launch, but has a bright future ahead

by on January 16, 2017
 

Last Friday, after standing in the freezing cold for an hour and a half waiting for a delayed coach, I was off and away to London to get my hands on the Nintendo Switch. Along with seeing what the console had to offer in both the technical and ergonomic senses, I also got to play on a selection of the games scheduled for release the months to come. Although there was no Super Mario Odyssey, there was still a fair amount to see, and I finally got my chance to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

It’s a weird one in all honesty: I’ve been very much looking forward to trying the Switch since it was announced, mainly because I’d missed out on dipping my toes into the Wii U era of Nintendo. I’d owned a Wii, but even then, it was only really ever used to play Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario Galaxy. I’d read up on what to expect from the Switch and watched the trailers from the Switch event in Tokyo in the morning (I’m too old to stay up for the actual event). By now, I was ready to go and see it for myself.

The console was a lot smaller than I thought it would be; the docking station and the screen equate to about half the size of an Xbox One. The 6.2 inch screen display is going to be tricky to see when you’re sitting it up with the kickstand and not holding it in your hands; when playing Super Bomberman R, it was difficult to sit further than a couple of feet away without squinting my eyes and trying to focus on the action. A concern for some is the 720p resolution of the handheld screen, but games like Zelda look superb on both the TV and undocked monitor. Even whilst holding the Switch screens in your hands, the picture is crisp, and fully accommodates all of the colours and the detail of games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Sonic Mania.

The controllers are smaller too, and when they are taken apart to play something like 1-2 Switch, it feels like you’re holding a pen. They’re very light, even when the Joy-Con controller is put together, and they’re an odd shape; the plus and minus buttons sit a little higher on the controller too–quite unlike the options and share buttons of the PS4, but I’m sure after a while you’ll get used to it. There wasn’t much of a chance for you to handle the Switch and interchange all the parts, but Adam got an opportunity towards the end of the event, and you can watch the video to find out a bit more.

I was really keen on seeing the games and finding out how the launch titles stacked up. Some were great, others were alright, and some had some really interesting mechanics. Let’s get stuck in, shall we?

Zelda: Breath of the Wild (March 3, 2017)

Watching the trailer before heading to London made me question whether or not it was actually going to look that good. We were almost ready to go, until the queue for Zelda had died down dramatically from earlier. We’d tried playing earlier in the event, but after queuing up for 45 minutes and then being told there was still an hour wait, we left to play everything else. From that, you knew how much Zelda meant to everyone.

Breath of the Wild is every bit as beautiful as the trailers depict; the 20 minute timed demo was the same to feature at E3, but this time it was running on the Switch. Instead of following the story, I set out to see what else there was in the world, and instantly I was amazed at how incredible this game was. The art style is stunning, the open-world is massive and the gameplay is wonderful. I went off and fought a selection of the monsters lurking under bridges or guarding outposts.

The combat is fluid and enemies are smart. If they drop their weapon, they’ll pick up a rock and throw it at you; in their desperation they’re at their most primal, so beware! I could have wandered that world forever, and when the game comes out, I’ll never want to leave. Of all the games I saw, Zelda: Breath of the Wild is by far the most impressive.

ARMS (Spring 2017)

ARMS felt like a cross between Overwatch and Wii Boxing; there were some clever ideas in the combat, and it wasn’t just a hell for leather, thrashing of the fists like I had expected it to be. Instead of holding the whole controller in your hands, you hold the small side bars of the Joy-Con controllers. With one in each hand, you can use certain buttons to hit your opponent. You can move them together in a certain direction to move or block and you can use the left trigger to dodge or the right trigger to jump.

By moving the left or right Joy-Cons towards your opponent you’ll throw a punch, and moving them together will grab them and throw them into the ground. You can also assign power-ups to each arm, like missiles or boomerangs depending on your hero, and after a while, you can build up a power bar that will unleash a flurry of powerful punches.

The current crop of characters feel different enough, and it certainly has an Overwatch vibe to it. I’m just hoping there are some different modes and enough diversity to keep playing, because if it’s just a succession of 1 on 1 fights with little else, Arms could get tiresome. Still, what I played was enough to keep me interested in the game’s developments and I hope this grows into something special.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (April 28, 2017)

What’s not to love about Mario Kart? It’s easily one of my favourite game series of all-time and after missing out on Mario Kart 8 on Wii U, it was amazing to finally play it on the Switch. Not having the ability to compare to the Wii U version, I can’t imbue you with details on its differences, but it looks beautiful. I played it solely on the Switch screen with the Joy-Con controllers attached, and it performed without any issues. The 720p resolution looked stunning on such a small screen, and it handled really well. Included in the deluxe edition are a few new characters such as Inkling Girl and King Boo, as well as some new vehicles–two of which have been inspired by Splatoon. There are no new tracks unfortunately, but battle mode has been revamped and all previously released DLC will be included in the deluxe package; that means the return of Link, Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach and so on.

Sonic Mania (Spring 2017)

This was probably the game I was most looking forward to playing other than Zelda, and it didn’t disappoint. It was being showcased using a kickstanded Switch screen, and the controller was one of the Joy-Cons turned on its side. In this capacity, the controller felt really light and rather small, but it controlled just fine. There was a level from the Green Hill Zone, but I was more interested in playing the new zone, Studiopolis. It was a fusion of purple, green and blue – neon lights and radio waves, and the same wonderful craziness as the old 2D Sonics. It was a breath of fresh air returning to that kind of gameplay, and I can’t wait to see all of the other levels and content when the game releases.

1-2 Switch (March 3, 2017)

Where to start? 1-2 Switch is a selection of mini-games that take no more than a minute or two to play, but show off all the ways you can use the Joy-Con controller. Quick Draw has you looking your partner in the eye with the Joy-Con in your hand. As the screen shouts ‘Draw!’, you shoot your opponent by pressing the button like pulling the trigger in an old fashioned shootout. Safe Crack has you cracking a safe by moving the controller to crack the code, and Milk has you simulating the milking of a cow. I’ve never laughed so much watching or playing a game as much as this, as you’ll see in the video above.

One of the smartest features of the Joy-Con is HD Rumble, and the Ball Count mini-game used to show it off. You have to move the controller, whilst trying to guess how many balls are in the box on screen. HD rumble is a selection of specific vibrations within the controller to make it feel like there are balls rolling around inside it; there is so much potential with this feature, and it will be interesting to see how developers incorporate it into future games. It would be a shame to see this feature go untouched because it has great potential.

Super Bomberman R (March 3, 2017)

The controller setup was the same as Sonic Mania, however, the game failed to make a good impression on me. I didn’t play for long, but it felt no different to the older versions of the game. It probably would’ve been a lot better to see it on a bigger screen because it was difficult to focus with the game being rather small on the Switch screen, but even then, it just wasn’t exciting enough.

As the day came to a close, I had mixed feelings about what I’d seen and experienced. The Nintendo Switch has a lovely design and some of the games I played looked and played really well on it. It just feels like it’s not enough. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the console will sell very well despite the £279.99 price tag but the launch games are sparse and nothing blew me away apart from Zelda, which will release on Wii U as well. ARMS has a lot of potential, and Super Mario Odyssey is out at the end of the year, but even then, I just felt a bit underwhelmed by it all.

But hey, this is Nintendo. They’re not about putting out the most powerful console; they’re about offering fun, innovative tech for everyone, and making their most loveable franchises fresh and exciting. I still have high hopes for the games coming out this year, and I’m excited to hear about what Nintendo have planned for the future.