So the NX
has finally been revealed! The Nintendo Switch is the name of the next
generation of Nintendo consoles, dropping the Wii name and branding once and
for all.
And, much to my surprise, I’m
absolutely on board with it. As someone who disliked the Wii U after seeing the
initial trailer, the Switch has really impressed me with how creative and smart
the idea looks.
If you somehow missed it, the basic
idea of the Switch is that it’s both a home console and a handheld in one.
There are multiple different ways you can mix and match the controllers,
including a standard Wii U Pro Controller update, a handheld device similar in
vein to the GamePad, a bunch of small controllers similar to Wiimotes you can
hand out to friends for impromptu multiplayer, and more.
Overall, it’s a really creative idea.
It allows you to create multiple controller options with just one, removing the
need to buy four different controllers just for a round of, say, Mario Party. I
assume that for games like Smash Bros where this wouldn’t work Nintendo can
reintroduce the GameCube adapter, giving them an easy solution there.
But who cares about that? You want to
hear about the games!
One thing people remember about the
Wii U was how disastrous the third-party support was. Aside from a few select
developers, none of the third party developers seemed to want to build their
game around the console. In the Switch’s case, that problem seems to have gone
out the window, as seen with the Partners image Nintendo put out.
Yeah.
Not only are the usual suspects all
here, like EA, Ubisoft, and Traveller’s Tales, but there’s some pretty massive
developers on this thing too. Bethesda, From Software, Telltale, Square Enix,
and more are all onboard for the Nintendo Switch.
As for the first party games, aside
from the already announced Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Skyrim Remastered (I
had a moment of disbelief seeing Skyrim on a Nintendo system), we saw what
looked like new iterations of both Mario Kart and Splatoon, as well as a new
Mario 3D platformer. From the brief glimpse we got of Mario, it looks like a
sort of hybrid of Mario 64 and Mario 3D World. I’m not the biggest fan of 3D
World, but I consider 64 to be the best Mario game of all time, so I’m looking
forward to more information. Splatoon seems to be getting more advanced inkling
customization options and Mario Kart is bringing back the two item system used
in GameCube’s Mario Kart Double Dash, both of which are things I’ve wanted for
a long time.
Ultimately, I think that this made the
whole NX insanity period worth the wait. The controller looks fantastic,
instead of the abomination that was supposedly “leaked” earlier this year.
I don’t say this often about consoles,
but I’m super excited to see more of the Switch. It seems to be the perfect
combination between hardcore and casual gamers that Satoru Iwata was looking
for in his lifetime, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that he himself
designed it. If this is to be Iwata’s legacy, it looks like it’s going to be a
good one.
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