Switch
Nintendo was a big surprise in Q1 2017. We all knew that the Switch was coming, and we also knew that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild would be releasing alongside it. What we didn’t expect was just how good the game would be. It instantly became one of the top-rated games ever released and left fans and newcomers alike in complete awe at just how beautiful and engrossing it is. Everywhere you could see you could go, and you could play the game however you wished. It’s the biggest game Nintendo has put out in quite some time and it was so good that it made it possible to ignore the fact that there was virtually nothing else out for the new console.
Sure, there were other games on the Nintendo Switch at launch, but you’d be hard-pressed to find something that was really worth owning. In fact, if it weren’t for Link’s latest adventure, we’re not entirely sure if the Switch would’ve gathered any steam at all. It’s severely lacking in third-party support at the moment, and it’s best games outside of the first-party release are titles that you can get elsewhere either now or in the future. We’re also not going to see the other major releases promised for the Switch until the summer, the holiday season, and the following months.
Hardware wise, Nintendo’s latest console is proving to be more than just a hopeful concept. It works, and it works quite well. The transition from home console to handheld is seamless, the console is light but doesn’t feel flimsy, the controllers get the job done, and the visuals coming from the tablet are exceptional. As a new console with such a high profile title launching alongside it, Nintendo definitely hit the right note to kick off 2017.
However, this start to the year also came with as much worry as there was praise. Yes, Breath of the Wild is incredible, but what else are they going to use to keep the Switch as a contender? We’ve already seen AAA third-party titles roll out and get announced, all ignoring the budding console. Q1 didn’t completely instill faith that we weren’t looking at a Wii U 2.0, and that’s holding the hardware and the company back just a bit. It was certainly a good first step, because the Switch is undeniably fun to use, but we need to see more, and soon.
