Nintendo Switch Preview Event Impressions
When you hear the name Nintendo, we all conjure the same images of the time your siblings ‘coached’ you through a boxing match in Punch Out or you snuck out of bed to boot up a couple of hours in Super Mario World. It was only fitting then that an oversized Mario mascot ushered me in to the hands on Nintendo Switch event which was geared to getting you excited about the newest system to the Nintendo family, the Switch. An event that, in this writers opinion, succeeded but left me with a lot of questions as well.
The hands on event was well thought out as the layout of the floor plan was excellent. Obviously Nintendo has learned from previous gaming mecca’s such as E3 or PAX and managed to keep the flow of people moving constantly. Zelda’s Breath of the Wild was sectioned off and given time slots while we were invited to experience what else the Switch has to offer. Fully delving in to what the company has planned at launch was both exciting and slightly troubling at the same time.
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“The Switch is everything that Nintendo promised and more!”Â
The exciting aspects are easy to focus on. The Switch is everything that Nintendo promised and more! With a native 1080p when docked, it functions exceptionally as a console. Even when the resolution drops when you pick up the device, the framerates and lag are hardly noticeable, if at all. In fact, many games seemed designed to focus on the mobility of the Switch. I got to sit down with Sonic Mania, Super Bomberman R and Ultimate Street Fighter II, the last being an exclusive to the Switch, which are older games, yes, but they do look very good on this device. However, old remasters are not the reason anyone is curious about the new console, though they seem to be a driving strategy for Nintendo.
The Splatoon 2 demo was incredibly fun and the line up for it showed what kind of draw the title had. Going back to blasting paint in a shooter style game looked like a ton of fun and the ability of the controller to split so you have a piece in each hand I felt helped how you interacted with the game. The big draw, obviously, was Zelda Breath of the Wild. The draw of this game was the high demand for play time and the rigorous timing of sessions we were allowed with the game kept us in close proximity to the roped off area. Even with the short amount of time designated to us (I could have played it all day), Link is back in a huge, expansive and very fun way. The person helping us walk through the demo had to prod me more than once to get back on track as I’d get sidetracked cutting trees down or climbing up the sides of buildings. This game fully dives into the ‘open world’ style, which, as I said, I could have played all day. Be prepared to write off a lot of time when Breath of the Wild comes out. In this one too, I felt the splitting of the controller really helped with interacting with the game. I was really one over by the those little Joy-Cons.
Each booth showed just how diverse the Switch is aiming for. The turn based RPG Disgaea 5 looked very sharp in 1080p, and the long nature of the 11 member team lent itself to picking up the dock and going about your day while rolling out your expansive team. Games like Snipper Clippers or 1-2 Switch, showed the party elements of the system with great aplomb. Snipper Clippers, for instance, had you pull the Switch apart and had you and a friend use the Joy-Cons as you snip each other’s paper characters into the shapes or sizes to solve the puzzles. With the 1-2 Switch, it’s a series of at least a dozen little games that force the players to interact with their partners and play the game instead of just watching the screen. While this sounds silly and cheesy, something so simple as a game of quick draw became a battle of wits and a myriad of wisecracks while we faced off in a showdown for bragging rights.
The biggest crown jewel of the show was actually two things that happened at the same time. We were waiting to test out how Mario Kart 8 would work on the new system and while we waited in line, Nintendo held a showdown between Gamestop employees on stage with their big new game, Arms. Basically, Arms is a boxing game where you’re characters have spring loaded arms to aid in combos and for over the top smashes and throws around the ring. It looked like a lot of fun as the matches were very close and filled with combos and smashes and a surprising amount of interaction from the players. I followed this up by sitting down with the portable Mario Kart 8, a game that has no right as to being this fun on the go. Using the joycons while sitting in a pseudo airplane, we enjoyed a couple of races in a game that is considered religion around these parts and the ‘deluxe’ version added new tracks and characters to keep us interested. Never before has a long flight seemed so easy to confront than with a Switch in tow.
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“Given how easy the Switch makes it to go from TV to motion control to handheld, it revolutionizes how you like to game.”
This is where the draw and the appeal of the Switch becomes obvious. A console that offers you favourites like a new Zelda, a new Mario, and the possibility of a new Metroid and maybe a new Smash Bros. is enough to draw a huge audience in! Given how easy the Switch makes it to go from TV to motion control to handheld, it revolutionizes how you like to game. The Switch even makes bathroom breaks a thing of the past with the easy access of the mobile pad, though you may want to invest in wipes if you’re going to be doing that.
In all honesty, I haven’t picked up a Nintendo since the SNES days. I’ve never considered the console to be enough to earn my dollars, even with some of my favourite characters and I’ve always had at least one friend who has thrown down for Mario Kart or Splatoon or whatever Nintendo has to offer. Saying that, am I sold on the Switch? Maybe is the best answer I can give you. It’s a solid system with several great and innovative ways to play. Nintendo did an amazing job putting together an amazing day that got me very hyped on their new system. If party games are your jam, you’re going to love what the Switch has to offer. If all you want is Zelda, they’ve got you covered too. I, personally, am more of a ‘sit down and burn 90 hours in Final Fantasy’ type gamer, so the fact that the system seems to be focusing on that party type game is what’s keeping me on the fence. Nintendo did an amazing job coaxing me back to their fold, but I may need to wait on that Mario Odyssey release before they get me to pick one up.
Nintendo continues to hit their niche market and does it with style with the Switch. They are really banking on Zelda to help sell the system as I don’t think anyone is forking over the coin to play Sonic or Street Fighter II. Based on the line ups for some time with Link, they may be safe on that bet. I’m almost won over for picking a Switch up, it just depends on what I get out of it in the end in the way of big games. Hopefully, they end up using this generation of console to the fullest and give all their fans what they’ve been clamouring for for years! They’ve put together a great system that offers you many ways to enjoy their games, so given a great library, I can see why analysts are predicting the Switch to move huge numbers.
You can officially get your hands on the Switch on March 3rd. I suspect there’s going to be many Link related sick calls on the 4th.