Tag: nintendo

Nintendo Switch 2 – First Impressions

So I picked up a Nintendo Switch 2 on launch day and I’ve been delving into Mario Kart World plus a couple of other games since Thursday. Here’s a few early thoughts.

Hardware

The Switch 2 is much bigger than the original, but feels very familiar, like it swallowed a mushroom. That bigger size feels natural pretty quick and the joy cons are more comfortable for my hands now, although the right thumbstick still feels awkward to reach. The Steamdeck is still the best for comfort. I’ve no doubt there will be some great third party joy cons like this from Mobapad in due course – it’s only day 4. A real positive is the joy cons now magnetically attach – much nicer than the original Switch with its slide mechanism.

The screen itself is clear and vibrant. It’s 1080p so higher resolution than the Steamdeck and thats welcome. However it’s LCD and it’s a real shame, but no surprise, that Nintendo didn’t ship an OLED option. There’s a noticeable difference in vibrancy between the Steamdeck and the Switch 2. We’ll look forward to 2028 and the Switch 2 OLED edition 😬

Steamdeck OLED, Switch 2, Switch 1

Sound from the Switch 2 is really good. Much better separation in Mario Kart World – maybe the bigger size? Whatever the reason, I was impressed. The kick stand is also well integrated and I’ve found myself using it more when I’m at the desk with the joy cons detached – much more comfortable. Not so good was the included dock. Not sure how but Nintendo have managed to make this feel cheaper and more plastically than the previous version. Good job.

I also picked up the Pro Controller and the GameCube Controller. The Pro Controller is fantastic. In total contrast to the dock, it feels solid and if you’re used the previous Pro Controller it looks familiar – but the sticks are such a step up. So smooth, I love playing Mario Kart with the controller. There’s now a couple of back buttons that don’t get in the way but are easy to use. About the only ding is the lack of analogue triggers which are standard everywhere else.

As for the GameCube controller, I couldn’t resist. USB C charging, wireless support and also has gyro controls which weren’t pre-announced. Only really works with Switch 2 GameCube games which are limited but nice to have.

Games

Launch games are pretty light but Mario Kart World makes up for that. It’s been so long since we’ve had an actual new Mario Kart game. Big change in this version is open world – the tracks are part of a wider world. I’ve mostly stuck to Grand Prix racing, solo and online. I much prefer the actual tracks vs racing point to point as some of them are a bit dull…probably because I don’t know them well enough. What is obvious is the amount of shortcut potential in this game…and you can see it during multiplayer as those that know the best routes are miles ahead. Also – turn off steer assist which is on by default 😡. I picked up the Switch 2 Mario Kart bundle. It was disappointing to get a small bit of paper with a code to type in to get the game. Gone are the days of manuals but would it have been so hard to include an actual game card?

I also picked up Fast Fusion which is WipeOut without the weapons. Plays really well for the price of £15. I’ve not mentioned game pricing yet. Nintendo have said first party games will now cost £80, and Xbox have followed their lead. I don’t have too big a problem with that as every generation has tended to increase by £10 or so which is less than inflation over the years.

Both of the recent Zelda games, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have Switch 2 upgrades for £7.99…or free if you buy Switch Online + Expansion pack. Considering the upgrades in each game that seems fair, and I’m looking forward to playing both games through.

Closing Thoughts

The Switch 2 is evolution, not revolution. Nintendo have played safe and given the sales of the Switch you can’t blame them. Apart from the lack of OLED, this meets expectations of a new console but if you didn’t pick up on launch day you aren’t missing much. Mario Kart World is a great game but the rest of the launch titles are so so. If you have any sort of back catalogue though the Switch 2 is by far the better platform to play through…just do yourself a favour and pick up the Pro Controller as its much better than the joy cons.

Wii Thoughts

So I’ve been in Peterborough for three days now – every night has been in the Wii. The short verdict is it’s brilliant.

At first I felt a little bit self conscious waving the controller around but that quickly disappears. The simple graphics don’t matter – it’s just not important. The games are all about fun and having an HD output doesn’t make any difference to the Wii. Four player tennis was just great. The bowling actually feels very realistic. Although you don’t actually have to bowl the ball and get down on bended knee it just didn’t feel right without doing it. At first I felt the games were all a bit arcadey but there is some depth there with certain features not explained allowing you to find out these through experimentation and further play.

We also played some Super Monkey Ball. The party games included were a bit hit and miss but some were hilarious. You do need quite a bit of room for anything more than one person though. I managed to skelp the wall a couple of times (left a bit of a dent) and one of Shakeel’s models took a bit of a bashing and was moved before any permanent damage was inflicted. You just need to make sure that you’ve got plenty room to swing. Hopefully I’ll get some photo’s online over the weekend – some are hilarious.

Like the DS Nintendo have an absolute winner with the Wii. They’ve made something different that the competition just doesn’t offer. This has been the most fun in years that I’ve had on a console and whats key is that the console isn’t just for gamers – anyone can pick up the remote and play. Will I be getting one – maybe. Firstly in Glasgow I hardly do any real world multiplayer – it’s all online so some of the fun would be lost. Secondly I’ve said maybe as I have a habit of backtracking on not getting gadgets so this gives me a bit of leeway. However I’ve no doubt that if you’ve got kids or there are two or more (potential) gamers in your household then the Wii is a must buy console, certainly ahead of a 360 or PS3 in the purchase list. Enough of this – time for some baseball…batter up!

Nintendo DS Lite

Last year when Sony and Nintendo brought our new handhelds I plumped for the PSP. The system had games I wanted to play (Wipeout Pure, Ridge Racer and in the future Pro Evo and GTA), looked to have great multimedia potential and the hardware looked great. In particular the hardware design in comparison to the DS was night and day. The DS was like a relic from the 90’s – clumsy, flip screen and the touch screen concept just didn’t click with me. No media playing ability either – just games.

Last week I picked up a DS Lite. I had an itch to play something fresh and new, Shakeel was raving about it and at just £99 it sounded a bargain. After a week of use I can only say I wish I had bought a DS sooner although in retrospect the Lite is such a better design/platform it’s a blessing in disguise that I only got one now.

DS Lite

I picked up a white one as I was warned the black one was a grease and fingerprint magnet. Even with the white you can still see the marks. However it looks great – very Apple esque and smaller/neater than the original. More importantly the screen brightness has been much improved and is as good if not better than the PSP. However this was bought for one reason – the games. It also shows that Nintendo still understand the games market better than anyone else.

Mario Kart DS is sublime on the DS. So many tracks that are known and loved with some originals thrown in as well. It’s also the best Mario Kart I’ve played since the SNES original – a real credit to the developers. The online mode is amazing – select from continental, worldwide or friends list to play online with up to three others. Every game so far has been lag free and when you think of who you may be playing with round the world on such a small hand held…fantastic achievement by Nintendo.

Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training highlights the unique nature of DS games. Using the touch pad or your voice you play a series of small mind games daily that help stimulate and work the brain. I’m loving this right now and while the actual science behind it maybe questionable it’s so enjoyable that I want to play it each day. This games also highlights one other aspect – how Nintendo get people to play that aren’t your typical gamers. My mother is loving this more than me – I’ve created a game addict. I may have to purchase another DS so I can get a shot.

There are plenty of others games available but these two alone have shown what a great platform this is. In some ways it’s a shame that Nintendo didn’t launch with the DS Lite against the PSP. They would have captured even more sales although it is trouncing the PSP at the moment so it’s not that big a deal. I do wonder about Nintendo designers though. Compare American SNES with Japanese/Euro SNES. There has been so many other bad examples through their history although the Wii doesn’t look like being one of them.

Back to the DS Lite – it’s great fun…and that’s really what games should be about, no? Highly recommended to everyone, not just hardcore gamers.

PSP Games

psp_rr1
Having great hardware is all well and good but you need great games as well. You only need to look at the Gamecube (stunning hardware spoiled by having a few great games) to see what I mean. At launch of a new platform there is always a wide mixture of good and bad games, usually down to time pressures and lack of familiarity with the new platform. That being said the PSP has a couple of cracking games out from day one with some more to follow soon.

Continue reading “PSP Games”