October 2016 gave us a first look at Switch, after months
upon months of ‘NX’ rumours all trying to give an account of just what this new
console of Nintendo’s would be. One thing most agreed on was the hybrid nature
of the system. That was certainly the case with it’s showing, with a trailer
that’s probably still sat at the top of most entertaining console reveal of all
time list ten years from now. Huge exaggeration, sure, but the fact is this
trailer hit home the message of the Switch – Play Anywhere, Anytime, With
Anyone. It also gave hints at the games we’d be playing, such as Mario Zelda,
Skyrim!, and a number of others. Come January, we got the details of the system
and an outline of the games. Cue March 3rd, when the console launched.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild hit hard,
becoming an instant hit with many people – including those who were casual fans
and even those who had never played a Legend of Zelda game before. In fact,
such was the popularity of the game, it was easy to forget the other games that
launched alongside it. Just Dance, FAST RMX, Snipperclips, Shovel Knight,
Skylanders, Bomberman, among a few others helped make sure it wasn’t just the
Breath of the Wild machine. Plenty of releases the days and weeks after also
made sure of that. If you’ve read my thoughts on the release month, you’ll know
much of what I’m about to say. I instantly preordered Breath of the Wild with
the Switch as soon as it became available, and upon release, I eagerly set it
up and set to playing. It was pulling me in with how open it was, allowing
exploration how the player wants to do it. I explored, and explored, and then
got on with the main quest. FAST RMX was the second game I bought, giving a lot
of skill to the racing genre as you control the super-fast vehicles around a
number of tracks. I enjoyed what I played of it, though as soon as Mario Kart 8
Deluxe came around, it was pretty much forgotten. Snipperclips was the third
game, a week later, with a second set of Joy-Con. It’s been fun to solve the
puzzles solo, but that sort of game needs two players. These co-op puzzlers are
more about the experience than the puzzles themselves. It’s why Human Fall Flat
is such a popular one. Snipperclips also features a competitive mode for up to
four players, expanding the range of things to play around on with friends.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe at the end of April brought the game
from Wii U with a few small changes and a rather big one in the form of a
completely revamped battle mode. Even with the near 300 hours put into the Wii
U version, having one of the best Mario Kart games in a portable form has
certainly kept me playing. A fact that is true for a number of these games.
Released on the same day as Mario Kart was Puyo Puyo
Tetris, with Minecraft on Switch following from that in May, as well as Ultra
Street Fighter 2 and Disgaea 5 Complete. June also saw a few releases, such as
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero and Mighty Gunvolt Burst, but it was day 16 of June
that gave the big release.
ARMS had been getting focus in the E3 Treehouse stream
before it’s release, and that certainly seemed to have helped in terms of
exposure. After all, a tournament featuring professional players is definitely
a way to create hype – especially if the game in question releases the day
after. At first, I found the game had minor flaws that affected enjoyment, but
with patches, nearly everything has been sorted out. Improvements to the game
also meant there was new content to enjoy – even if such updates have come to
an end. The fighting was fast and fun, though just like most arena fighters, my
interest dropped to occasional plays pretty quick. There’s just something to
the more technical fighters that can never hold my interest, it seems. Despite
that, it certainly is a great game that fans of the genre can enjoy. Even if it
did get overshadowed by Nintendo’s next big release.
July saw the release of Splatoon 2, and again it shook
the world into a frenzy. A solo mode that expanded on the first, a new
wave-based multiplayer mode, and the multiplayer modes brought back from the
first allowed this to be as good as the 2015 game. New subs and specials
replaced the original roster, making sure the tactics of play changed. A
special four-hour Splatfest Testfire appeared on the eShop a week before
release to hype everyone up. Content updates are going strong – the same with
Splafests – with numerous returning stages from the first game having been
added, and even more new competitive modes to be added. This time around there
has been a music update, adding even more battle themes to the game, and I
honestly think Splatoon 2 has the best music of the two. I’ve been loving the game,
sticking with my trusty Splattershot Jr.’s for the multiplayer, and having
actually finished the solo campaign in the second game where the firsts didn’t
really interest me as much. It’s definitely one to play, though for me has been
side-lined by other games both on and away from the Switch.
I’m a fan of minigolf, and the games are no exception. I
remember Planet Minigolf on the PS3, and to hear that ZEN Studios were to be
releasing a new minigolf game on Switch was great news for me. Infinite
Minigolf was great to play, but had a flaw in its controls that was soon
corrected in a patch. Since then it has been a lot more playable, and with new
themes added to the game, it has expanded quite a bit since release.
I’m not much of a fan of the classic Sonic games, with
Sonic 2 being the only one I’ve really enjoyed, but Sonic Mania looked to
expand on that game, so I was in. The drop dash was easy to forget about, but
the flow of the game was great. The special stages are the only ones I really
enjoy from the entire series, bringing a Sonic R feel to them that makes me
wish for another game in that style.
While I haven’t played it, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
seemed weird at first, which is why it was probably a good thing the rumours
flying around got us used to the idea. Ubisoft saw success with it, and this is
probably the first of many crossovers and third-party handling of Nintendo IP
in a line of them.
Pokkén Tournament DX and Fire Emblem Warriors released to
favourable reviews, but my next game didn’t come along until the beginning of
October with Stardew Valley. It had released on other platforms in 2016, but
with knowledge that it was coming to the Switch, I held off. Just like with
Sonic Mania, I wanted the game on a handheld as I felt it fit the spirit of the
game better. A farming simulation going back to the old versions of Harvest
Moon, it felt like a great game to play for a bit at a time and then find
you’ve lost hours to it. While it has been good, I find myself not returning to
it due to the art style and controls feeling slightly off.
Super Mario Odyssey. The Switch’s next hype game. Since
Zelda had taken the focus of E3 in 2016, E3 2017 was jumping in the air without
a care with that wonderfully crafted vocal song accompanying the trailer of the
next 3D Mario game. We’d already seen it in action from January, but the amount
of content that came out of E3 for it made it one of the most hyped games and
managed to make it massively popular. When it released, I loved it, and having
remained free from spoilers found the ending to be such a blast. And with the
new Balloon finding mode added, exploration of the worlds within the game has
increased – with me finding areas I didn’t even know were around in some of
them.
Back when this one originally released, I never really
gave it much of a chance. Skyrim was a one play and forgot game back then, and
for a while it looked as though that was to happen again. Having played it once
on the Switch version’s release, it was forgot about until a month later, where
I picked it back up and lost many, many hours in exploring the world and
getting invested in the connections I was making with it. Sure, combat was
frustrating me, but it didn’t stop me playing. I was too invested to give it up.
And it continued like that until 2018.
It wasn’t until February that my first 2018 Switch
purchase was made, and that was Dragon Quest Builders. I’d seen it as a novel
idea, having a JRPG-like sandbox, and while the RPG elements weren’t exactly
sandbox, the exploration and building definitely were. The building tools
weren’t limited, and each of the four chapters were like self-contained
episodes leading up to a climactic finale. Happy to say it succeeded in getting
me away from Skyrim with a new world to explore. With a second game soon to be
released, I’m sure I’ll enjoy the second as much as I have the first.
As for the rest of 2018, we know of Kirby Star Allies and
the new Yoshi game. Kirby will be my next purchase, and from what I’ve seen of
it, I’m sure I will be enjoying my first mainline Kirby title. Yoshi I’m not so
sure about, but it looks enjoyable from what’s been shown. Mario Tennis Aces is
set to launch soon, and expands on everything that Ultra Smash gave us. Nintendo
Labo – the cardboard creative set of accessories – is to come in April, and
starts off what looks to be the first in new ways to play. While I can’t say
much of it, it does look to give some interesting ideas.
Nearly everything else is a mystery, but we know of a new
Fire Emblem. Smash Bros. on Switch seems almost certain, and considering the
numerous ports of games, it seems expected that Smash 4 will be making its way
over. Just like with the other ports, new things are likely to be included.
I’ve always been parading the idea of expanding the Miis and Wuhu Island, and I
think the Switch is the perfect place to do that. A new Pilotwings would be
great, with a Wave Race also being a sought-after return. Both of these and
more could be a part of Wuhu Island game. All-in-one, a game-as-a-service, as
it were, but with the objective being to not make money with each new addition.
No microtransactions either. A game sold at full retail price should remain a
one-price-only game. If it were free, that would be a different case, but then
would Nintendo really want to expand into a social-gaming service that Sony
tried with its Playstation Home?
A Party-type game is more than likely coming, Animal
Crossing is surely coming – whether this year or not is a question that needs
answering sooner rather than later. It could be expected that a new Mario Maker
will be coming, as well as a few other WiiU ports.
And of course, the big one that I’m hoping will be the
main focus of E3 this year. Pokémon on Switch. Many an idea has been asked for
with this one. Open world design like Skyrim or Breath of the Wild. Full-3D
Kanto remake. Revision of the battle mechanics. There’s been loads of ideas
going around, including region ideas, starter ‘mon ideas, and new mechanics.
Nintendo have had a very good first year with the Switch,
beating out the lifetime WiiU sales in just one year. If the second can keep
that momentum going, it could be a very successful console in the future. I’ve
been loving it, though now is the time to bring the features. The eShop could
also do with a bit of work, and bringing more themes – and a bit of a refresh –
to the home screen would be good as well.
There’s a lot to be said for a gaming machine that serves
as both handheld and home console, and I’ve certainly been enjoying it as both.
Here’s to many more years of Switch.