Playing the Nintendo Switch Isn’t As Mindblowing As it Needs to Be

An intriguing hybrid with a rough start.
Switch Nintendo Colors

Nintendo Switch Hands-On: The Software

Recommended Videos

Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild, E3 2016, preview

Sadly the Switch’s lineup is a bit thin both in quality and quantity. There are five confirmed games and only one of them is at punching weight.

1-2-Switch is an amusing but an absolutely forgettable collection of mini-games. It’s been said that it will be priced under $60 but it really should be a pack-in game though. Just Dance 2017 is… a Just Dance game. Sure they can be fun, but it is far from being a system seller. Skylanders Imaginators is a sensible port for the younger crowd. Super Bomberman R is nice to have, but it’s Bomberman. You know what it is; you know what it does; and again, fun as that may be, buying a brand new console is an awfully expensive way to play Bomberman.

That leaves Breath of the Wild. It’s undoubtedly the star of the show out the gate, and a game that’s shaping up to be something really special. But despite being trusted to save Hyrule countless times over, I still don’t think Link has ever had a greater weight on his shoulders. It also really doesn’t help that if anyone was that desperate to play it, they could pick up a copy of the game and a Wii U to play it on for far less cash.

Elsewhere there are interesting games scattered across the calendar. Fast RMX is a fun, futuristic racer in the vein of Wipeout; though playing raises the missed opportunity of bringing the F-Zero franchise back into the fold. Skyrim is scheduled for Fall; Splatoon 2, isn’t out until the Summer. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, while not too far off (scheduled for April), and very good indeed, is an updated port of a three-year-old Wii U game – though there aren’t any new race tracks in the update.

Mario Odyssey is slated for a Christmas 2017 release. That’ perfectly reasonable but it feels a lifetime away right now. Though not a terrible lot is known about the game, the fact that it’s made by Tokyo EAD (Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox) is reassuring. All in all, it’s a very shaky start and a cloudy forecast for the Switch in its first year, with only the odd rays of light breaking through – and spread far apart. It’s also interesting to note that of the extensive list of developers said to be supporting the Switch, most have yet to reveal any concrete software plans for it. Big hitters like Capcom and Activision remain tight-lipped.


Twinfinite is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article 10 Things Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Changed From the Original Game That Made the Story Even Better
Image Source: Square Enix via Twinfinite
Read Article 10 Things Marvel Rivals Can Learn From Overwatch 2
Marvel Rivals promo art
Read Article 5 Ways Marvel Rivals Is an Overwatch Clone & 5 Ways It’s Completely Different
marvel rivals characters backs
Related Content
Read Article 10 Things Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Changed From the Original Game That Made the Story Even Better
Image Source: Square Enix via Twinfinite
Read Article 10 Things Marvel Rivals Can Learn From Overwatch 2
Marvel Rivals promo art
Read Article 5 Ways Marvel Rivals Is an Overwatch Clone & 5 Ways It’s Completely Different
marvel rivals characters backs
Author
Joshua Wise
Graduated in 2014. English BA. Didn't care much for the real world. Decided to spend too long in fictional ones. Decided to write about it. Always in pursuit of an idle life...