1-2 SWITCH
Worst Games of Q1 2017
When to comes to party games, Nintendo has always been the go-to place for couch co-op fun. Titles like Mario Party, Wii Sports, Mario Kart, and more invite friends to actually get together in the same room to play a game.
Often at the start of every launch for a new Nintendo console, a game is marketed specifically for its multilayer capabilities while showing off the new functionalities of the console. 1-2 Switch is that game for the Nintendo Switch, as it shows off the HD Rumble with mini-games like Sneaky Dice and Ball Count to mimic real world vibrations while pushing the 2-person co-op the game offers.
The 28 mini games range from meh, to horribly bad. Some offer a slight challenge like Safe Crack where you have to unlock a safe first by sensing vibrations, but the majority of them are designed more to just make the participants feel silly than strike up any actual competition. Such as Copy Dance and Runway, which only follow the orientation of the controller, meaning you can just hold the controller a certain way or flail it all around randomly and end up winning the game.
And some of the games are just plain weird, such as having to hush a crying baby while you cradle your Switch in your arms. Who wouldn’t want that at a party?
Overall, 1-2 Switch feels extremely shallow and misses the mark when it comes to the past success Nintendo has had with couch co-op. It feels more like a tech demo than an actual fully-fledged game, and probably should have just been used at gaming shows to show off the HD Rumble and Joy-Con sensor capabilities than actually making it a whopping $50 launch title for the Switch. You can check out the trailer here.