One Year of the Switch
By Nicolas, Technology Assistant Editor
It has been over a year since Nintendo released the Switch. The 3rd of March, saw the release of the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo’s new hybrid console that could switch (pun intended) between playing on a TV screen, on projector etc. to a mobile handheld device in just one swift motion.
In just its first year, the Switch’s sales have already surpassed the Wii U’s lifetime sales. The Switch has seen an amazing array of games, from small indies (or nindies as Nintendo like to call them) to AAA games, the Switch has it all, with still some exciting games coming out like Metroid Prime 4 and the new Yoshi.
I still remembering seeing the trailer for the first time and being so excited. I also remember my excitement and fascination of going to the Nintendo Switch premier in the Apollo, where I got to experience the Switch first-hand. When the Switch came out I played Breath of the Wild non-stop (I still haven’t finished).
I then bought Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and would play with other players, and break friendships. The new double item feature gives a fresh look on an already amazing Mario Kart 8. With ARMS, being a fighting game, I was not very good at it, but I played it anyway and it was a new look on the entirety of the genre.
Then Splatoon 2 came out. I’ve never played the original and was skeptical at first, but Oh My Gosh is it fun. I don’t want to get too into the game, but the basic concept of turf war is that you’re a trendy and fashionable kid, who can turn into a squid, and you fight in a team and try to get your ink all over the place. I can’t get enough of this game, it is SO FUN!
I later got a pro-controller, and this was so comfortable, it had a good weight and the buttons were very large, it is probably one of my favorite controllers, just beating the Xbox 360 controller in my opinion. The analogue sticks are smooth and have a great travel distance, and it has a D-Pad for those 2D fighting games. Splatoon 2 is actually my most played game on the Nintendo Switch which just goes to show how good it is. They also keep adding free DLC to always keep the game fresh. What I like most about Splatoon, compared to other games is that anyone, no matter skill level, can play. Anyone can shoot at the ground, you don’t have to splat anybody, just paint the ground and you feel like you are contributing (ProJared explains this well.)
Following this Mario Odyssey was released, it was a completely different take on the Mario franchise, just when I thought Nintendo had ran out of ideas. Have you seen Mario in space? Have you seen Mario on vacation? Have you seen Mario in a haunted house? Well here he is in a realistic city with talking cutlery, a magical hat and a Tyrannosaurus-Rex with a moustache!
The idea seemed so strange, but it works. It blends each element of exploration and doing everything at your own pace perfectly.
Mario+Rabbids kingdom battle was also a strange idea. To me, it made more sense to do Mario+Rayman, however when I started playing, it didn’t bother me at all. It was fun and simplistic turn-based strategy game, yet it felt so fresh. For me (who is probably the worst at turn-based games) it was really challenging, yet I didn’t feel like I was never going to make it like I do with Pokémon or something similar, I felt compelled to keep trying. With Rayman, it was essentially the same game ported from the other systems with some small yet fun features, my favourite part about the game is that once you beat a world, you are greeted with a music level, where you have to make your way through the level jumping, running and kicking to the rhythm and beat. I could not stop laughing when one of the levels turned out to be a guitar and kazoo cover of “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor as well as the Gloo Gloo level where they did a cover of “Woohoo” by The 5.6.7.8’s, which turned out to be better than the original (in my opinion of course.)
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was just the same game ported over with shorter loading screens and Amiibo functionality.
Overall I think it has been a very good year for the Nintendo Switch with many more good years to come.