Nintendo Switch Turns One – Now, Why and A Possible Future

Well, well, who would of thought it, One year down the line and the Nintendo Switch is flying off the shelves, fastest selling console in America and France, with sales figures to be around 15million last time we heard, might be more now, but to reflect this against the Wii U for its lifetime of sales its rather impressive

Pundits and Professionals, this included the likes of Eurogamer, The Know, Gamespot and many other AAA sites and smaller sites, ALL pushing the system to one side, stating its a joke, it would not sell. This is because of the systems Tegra One chipset from Nvidia, a rather old chip, compared to what inside the Xbox One and PS4.

You would have thought back then, they would have been right, with the attitude of many gamers, 60FPS, 1080p are all that is thrown about when it comes to the Xbox One and PS4. If the game was not hitting those high-quality standards, then the game would be bitched out, gamers would hit social media and complain about it. If one of the systems did not hit the standard, then that game would be referred to as an inferior version on that system.

But Nintendo, well they live in a different world to other console manufacturers, graphics are not everything, that will sell a console, yes it does bring over all the third party games, because many AAA games require a beastly engine behind the system to run them, but the big N, still opted for a lesser powerful chip.

Their motto for this machine is ‘Play your favourite games anytime, anywhere, with anyone’  and has that worked, well it has. The first game to be launched with the system, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, has won many awards and is loved by many gamers.

Awards included;

• The Game Award for Game Of The Year
• The Game Award for Most Anticipated Game
• The Game Award for Best Studio/Game Direction
• The Game Award for Best Action/Adventure

The size and scope of the adventure you get in this game is by far, one of the best games ever created, the art style, gameplay mechanics, music, story, an open world adventure game starring one of the most iconic characters from the Nintendo franchise, helped sell this console.

Even though the sales of the system where doing well, the so-called industry professionals, still can not see the system going that far, because of lack of AAA third party games. In steps, Bethesda with Skyrim, Doom and soon Wolfenstein, proving that games with HQ graphics can be brought to the system, with some compromises, and the games still sell. Why? play anywhere, anytime. Having access to your favourite games on the go is something many gamers have wanted for years. yes, we have our mobile phones, but, this lacks any real support and games. Many games are more or less laced with adverts, microtransactions or games you would play for a short period of time and then just throw it to one side. Mobile phones also lack a fantastic controller.

The Switch sells because it has the BIG N behind it, and it’s 100% exclusive games, that you will never see on any other platform, Nintendo holds the rights to more exclusive franchises than any other console manufacturer. Just to name a few, Metroid, Bayonetta 2 & 3 (Now Nintendo Exclusive), Mario (Mario Kart, Mario Tennis etc), Pikmin, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Fire Emblem, Golden Sun, F-Zero, Zelda, Pokemon, Smash Bros, Star Fox, Splatoon, Xenoblade, Yoshi and plenty more.

For Nintendo Fans, the Switch is a dream come true, being able to play Zelda on the go, Mario, Splatoon with friends anywhere at anytime. Being able to swap from TV mode to Handheld mode is a must for many of us these days. Some of us don’t have the luxury of two TV’s, we have the main TV in the living room and that’s about it, and when your parents want to watch something and you are deep in a dungeon the last thing you want to do is turn off the system and start again. Pull out the switch from its dock and keep on playing, even with a pair of headphones in so not to upset your folks, the last thing they want to hear is your game music during there EastEnders.

Indie fans love the Nintendo Switch as well, there are so many great titles on the platform from Stardew Valley, Owlboy, Celeste, Death Squared, Furi, Heart & Slash, Human: Fall Flat, Night in the woods, Shu, Worms, Overcooked just to name a few, it seems the Nintendo Switch is getting a lot of love from the indie community. However, I also know that Nintendo’s process of getting your game on their system is so backward, they are still using written documents, wake up Nintendo and get with the times.

But the Nintendo Switch is not all roses, the online features are shocking, having to use a mobile phone to chat is fecking crazy and something the big N needs to sort out. There are no apps to make the system more enticing to casual gamers that like to watch movies and catch up with friends on social networks. There is no internet browser or any way to stream your gameplay to the likes of Twitch or YouTube, p.s don’t use YouTube, Nintendo is right up their arse on this platform and will kick your butt from a back to b with any footage that is theirs, copyrighting anything regardless of the term fair use.

So one year down the line, much changed? No, still no browser, game chat sucks and still lacks a shed load AAA third party games, but the system is still selling. Go figure, I put it down to great first party games from the likes of Splatoon, Mario Kart, Zelda, Mario, Xenoblade and Arms. Then you have the possibility to play Skyrim on the go, old game, but playing it on the go, during those long travel destinations, makes up for it. Or the new Dragon Quest Builders, which was originally only available on PS4, this game is highly addictive, creative and fun to play, I have personally spent hours in the game, make sure my town was perfect before heading to the next town.

If I was to give my top 10 in no particular order it would be

• Zelda Breath of the Wild,
• Xenoblade 2,
• Bayonetta 2,
• Maro Kart,
• Smash Bros,
• Splatoon,
• Skyrim,
• Dragon Quest Builders,
• Mario Odyssey,
• Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.

Now what I hope to see in the future, for sure,  would be a new Zelda game, can not wait to play Metroid 4 and Bayonetta 3, would love a new Pikmin Game and maybe bring back Donkey Kong and Star Fox, but ultimately an adventure game around POKEMON, then chuck in a Final Fantasy and some new IP’s just to mix it up.

I would like to see a browser added so we can have access to the www and apps for the likes of Netflix, Facebook, twitter etc. A way to stream to Twitch and other platforms would be very handy as well. The online chat system really needs some work, before Nintendo Starts charging to play online, and to go along with there paid subscription service for online gameplay, a subscription that offers some great free games or a super low subscription that gives us access to great games for a limited period.

Other than what I have mentioned, here is a list of games that we currently know about coming to the system in 2018 and maybe beyond thanks to Eurogamer for compiling this list

Upcoming Nintendo Switch games with confirmed release dates:

March 2018:

• North (Sometimes You, March 6th)
• Fear Effect Sedna (Square Enix Collective, March 6th)
• Steredenn: Binary Stars (Pixelnest Studio, March 8th)
• Bit Dungeon+ (Doloes Ent, March 8th)
• The Men of Yoshiwara: Ohgiya (D3 Publisher, March 8th)
• 30-in-1 Game Collection: Volume 1 (Teyon, March 8th)
• NeoGeo Real Bout Fatal Fury (Hamster, March 8th)
• World Conqueror X (Circle Ent, March 8th)
• Midnight Deluxe (Ratalalka Games, March 8th)
• I, Zombie (Awesome Games, March 8th)
• Bleed 2 (Digerati, March 8th)
• Scribblenauts Showdown (WB Games, March 9th)
• One Eyed Kutkh (Sometimes You, March 9th)
• TurtlePop: Journey to Freedom (DigiPen Game, March 9th)
• Danmaku Unlimited 3 (Doragon, March 13th)
• Spiral Splatter (Sometimes You, March 13th)
• Coffin Dodgers (Wales Interactive, March 13th)
• The Long Reach (Merge Games, March 15th)
• Neonwall (JanduSoft, March 15th)
• Kirby Star Allies (Nintendo, March 16th)
• A.O.T. 2 (Koei Tecmo Europe, March 20th)
• Manticore – Galaxy On Fire (Koch Media, March 22nd)
• Castle of Heart (7Levels, March 23rd)
• Outlast 2 (Red Barrels, March 27th)
• Alteric (Sometimes You, March 30th)

April 2018:

• Nintendo Labo (Nintendo, April 27th in Europe / April 20th in North America)

May 2018:

• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo, May 4th)
• Mega Man Legacy Collections 1 and 2 (Capcom, May 22nd)
• Dark Souls Remastered (Namco Bandai, May 25th)
• Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection (Capcom, May)

First-party Nintendo games with no release date:

• Bayonetta 3 (Nintendo)
• Hyrule Warriors (Nintendo, Spring)
• Mario Tennis Aces (Nintendo, Spring)
• Metroid Prime 4 (Nintendo)
• New Fire Emblem (2018)
• New Yoshi game (Nintendo)

Third-party games with no release date:

• 1001 Spikes (Nicalis, TBC)
• 7 Billion Humans (Tomorrow Corporation)
• Arena of Valor (Tencent)
• Away: Journey to the Unexpected (2017)
• Balloon Fight (NES – Nintendo Switch Online subscription, 2018)
• Battle Chef Brigade (Adult Swim Games, 2017)
• Battle Chef Brigade (Trinket Games / Adult Swim)
• Battle Princess Madelyn (Causal Bit Games, 2018)
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (Inti Creates, TBC)
• Constructor (System 3, TBC)
• Cube Life: Island Survival (Cypronia, TBC)
• Dandara (Long Hat House, 2017)
• Dr. Mario (NES – Nintendo Switch Online subscription, 2018)
• Dragon Quest Builders 2 (Square Enix)
• Dragon Quest Heroes I and II (Square Enix, TBC)
• Dragon Quest X (Square Enix, TBC)
• Dragon Quest XI (Square Enix, TBC)
• Dragon: Marked for Death (IntiCreates)
• Duck Game (Adult Swim Games, 2017)
• Earth Atlantis (Pixel Perfex / Headup Games, autumn 2017)
• Earth Atlantis (Pixel Perfex)
• Enter the Gungeon (Devolver Digital, 2017)
• Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory (NIS America)
• Fear Effect Reinvented (Sushee / Square Enix)
• Flipping Death (Zoink!, 2017)
• Floor Kids (MERJ, winter 2017)
• Graceful Explosion Machine (Vertex Pop, TBC)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (Telltale Games)
• Harvest Moon: Light of Hope (Nasume)
• Hollow Knight (Team Cherry, 2018)
• Hover: Revolt of Gamers (The Sidekicks, 2017)
• Hyper Sentinel (Heuy Games)
• Indivisible (Lab Zero, 2017)
• Inside (Playdead)
• Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer / Annapura Interactive, early 2018)
• Kingdom, Two Crowns (Raw Fury Games, 2017)
• Kirby Star Allies (Nintendo)
• Light Fingers (Numizmatic, early 2018)
• Minecraft: Story Mode – The Compete Adventure (Telltale Games, TBC)
• Mom Hid My Game (Kemco, 2017)
• Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (FDG Entertainment, 2017)
• Morphies Law (Cosmoscope Games, 2017)
• Morphies Law (Cosmoscope, winter 2017)
• Mulaka (Lienzo)
• Mutant Mudds (Renegade Kid, 2017)
• My Time at Portia (Team17)
• Necrobarista (Route 59)
• New ‘Tales of’ RPG (Namco Bandai, TBC)
• New Shin Megami Tensei 5 (Atlas)
• Next Up Hero (Digital Continue / Aspyr Media, early 2019)
• Nine Parchments (Frozenbyte, 2017)
• Pankapu (Too Kind Studio, 2017)
• Party Golf (Giant Margarita, TBC)
• Penguin Wars (City Connection, 2017 in Japan)
• Penny Punching Princess (NIS America, spring 2018)
• Phantasy Star Online 2 Cloud (Sega, Japan only)
• Picontier (Circle Entertainment)
• Piczle Lines DX (Rainy Frog)
• Pillars of Eternity 2 (Obsidian Entertainment
• Pocket Rumble (Chuckfish Games, 2017)
• Poly Bridge (Dry Cactus, winter 2017)
• Project Octopath Traveller (Square Enix, TBC)
• Quest of Dungeons (Upfall Studios, August 10 in Japan)
• Raging Justice (MakinGames)
• Redout (34BigThings, TBC)
• RiftStar Raiders (Climax Studios, 2017)
• Runner3 (Choice Provisions, Autumn 2017)
• SNK Heroines Tag Team Fury (SNK, Summer)
• Sausage Sports Club (Luckshot Games, autumn 2017)
• Seasons of Heaven (AnyAny Productions, TBC)
• Seiken Densetsu Collection / Mana Collection (Square Enix, TBC)
• Senran Kagura (possibly Japan only)
• Shakedown Hawaii (VBlank)
• Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (Saber Interactive)
• Shin Megami Tensei 5 (Atlus)
• Shovel Knight: King of Cards (Yacht Club Games, early 2018)
• Space Dave! (Choice Provisions, 2017)
• Splasher (Splashteam, 2017)
• State of Mind (Daedalic Entertainment, 2017)
• State of Mind (Daedalic Entertainment, TBC)
• Steep (Ubisoft, TBC)
• Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES – Nintendo Switch Online subscription, 2018)
• Super Meat Boy Forever (Team Meat)
• Syberia 3 (Microids, TBC)
• Taiko Drum Master (Namco Bandai, TBC)
• Terraria (505 Games, 2017)
• The Fall Part 2: Unbound (Over the Moon, 2017)
• The Next Penelope (Plug in Digital, 2017)
• The World Ends With You -Final Remix- (Square Enix, 2018)
• Titan Quest (Iron Lore Entertainment)
• ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove (Adult Swim Games, 2017)
• TowerFall Ascension (Matt Thorson, 2017)
• Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes (Suda51 / Grasshopper Manufacture)
• Treasurenauts (Renegade Kid, 2017)
• Ultimate Chicken Horse (Clever Endeavour Games, 2017)
• VS. Balloon Fight (Hamster)
• VS. Clu Clu Land (Hamster)
• VS. Ice Climber (Hamster)
• VS. Pinball (Hamster)
• Wandersong (Dumb and Fat Games, 2018)
• Wargroove (Chucklefish Games, 2017)
• Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (Bethesda)
• Wulverblade (Fully Illustrated / Darkwind Media, September 2017)
• Yoku’s Island Express (Team 17, 2018)
• Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (Nihon Falcom, Summer)
• sU and the Quest for Meaning (Guillaume Bouckaert, 2017)