This fourth year of Switch I had hoped would bring a lot. I had hoped it would be on par with 2017. Whether COVID-19 affected things or not, it seemed this year was destined to be another 2018. What that allowed was for me to experience quite a few games I wouldn’t otherwise have touched. That has also meant that I’ve bought a lot more games in this fourth year.
These first two games I had covered at the start of 2020, within their respective Directs and in First Impressions articles. Then throughout the year, there have been others that have been featured in articles, videos, or even on livestreams. Even so, it that time where I take a look at my experiences of the Switch’s fourth year to celebrate its anniversary. And it will be a long one. Right at the beginning of this fourth year of Switch – in the month of March – three games arrived. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a remake of the original games of Red and Blue Rescue Team. I was happy to get my hands on this one and relive the memories of the past with a new coat of paint. It’s been an enjoyable experience from start to finish. Then came Animal Crossing: New Horizons near the end of the month, and this one became an instant hit. The ability to place anything where you want. The ability to mould the island to how you want it looking. And still the same cosy, relaxing life simulation to enjoy. Some things might have been cut back a bit to fit the island life, but it has still become my most played game of the series, and that playtime will still be increasing into this fifth year.
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After a stunning first year and an enjoyable second for the Nintendo Switch, it was entirely possible the third wouldn’t live up to the greats the previous two gave.
In fact, it is looking like this third year will be the one that pales the most when stacked against even the fourth year and the major bombshell that will be opening it within the month of March (and the smaller but no less important one), despite the fact I bought more in this year than the previous two. There were games that I was looking forward to in this year, and a few of them did deliver. Better yet were a few surprises coming from some of the indie games I’d bought. But with the highs also come the lows, with a few games I had been hoping to be great experiences instead being somewhat forgettable. Were there enough great experiences to match those of previous years, though? The first year of the Nintendo Switch gave me plenty of great experiences. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild hooked me into the game and further into the Zelda lore than I had before. Super Mario Odyssey proved to be a great game, as did Splatoon 2. There were twelve games bought in total for that first year, and the second almost hits that amount again.
The second year for Switch might not have been to everyone’s tastes, but for me it gave just as many greats as the first. Dragon Quest Builders I count among that number, along with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Skyrim (even if they are both games I owned on other systems, it’s the experiences I had with them on the Switch that count). So just what did I get up to with the Switch’s second year? October 2016 gave us a first look at Switch, after months upon months of ‘NX’ rumours all trying to give an account of just what this new console of Nintendo’s would be. One thing most agreed on was the hybrid nature of the system.
That was certainly the case with its showing, with a trailer that’s probably still sat at the top of most entertaining console reveal of all-time list ten years from now. Huge exaggeration, sure, but the fact is this trailer hit home the message of the Switch – Play Anywhere, Anytime, With Anyone. It also gave hints at the games we’d be playing, such as Mario Zelda, Skyrim!, and a number of others. Come January, we got the details of the system and an outline of the games. Cue March 3rd, when the console launched. Nintendo Switch has yet to gain its Virtual Console service – where old games are emulated for play on newer systems – but one of the most requested systems to appear on the service is Gamecube.
The Gamecube is quite possibly one of my most favourite systems, with a fair few series available on it that I feel have only been narrowly beaten by later entries, and some which still remain my favourites. Take Mario Kart, for instance. Despite numerous entries after Double Dash, I would always say it was my favourite. Even when Mario Kart 8 came out – though it was a very tight call. With the Deluxe version of MK8 on Switch though, Double Dash has finally been beaten. But only just. It's been over a week since the Switch was first released, and already it's doing better than the Wii U. A lot of build-up for the console went a long way to securing good sales, for both games and the console itself. And what a console this thing is.
The set up was quick and easy, showing off what the console is capable of easy enough. The UI is simple enough to navigate, with games being sorted by most recent played. A set of icons below this carousel feature the news, eshop, album, and settings for both console and controllers. After a very early morning, and with the weather still being bitterly cold, Hayden and I made our way from Stoke-on-Trent to London in roughly an hour and a half. Euston to Hammersmith on the Underground, then it was a wait to get in.
There was a large crowd already waiting, so I knew we wouldn't be anywhere near the first in. It was certainly nice of them to have the reveal trailer playing on screens around the outside. Once we were inside, we were given a Switch themed lanyard and a card which would be stamped once we played the games on offer. There was also a place to put name and email address to enter for winning a Switch. Walking through the opening, which was lined with a history of Nintendo consoles, the main event was already full. I'm not going to get into crowds and such, but the event itself was great. So, let me just say this. In reality, I knew this presentation would be just a recap and new stuff. How could it not be when the main focus was on the business side of things. What we did get was some interesting stuff. And teases galore.
It began with a recap of the central idea, before going into more detail. Right from the off we got a release date and price, with a worldwide release of 3rd March, and the price being $300 (Europe as usual will probably mark as close to that number as possible, what with retailers given free reign). The online services will start out free, but will change to a paid service at a later date. Region locking has now been stopped, so imported games can now be played. I'm happy about all this. So as we get ever closer to that conference on the 13th of January, it's time for a look at those games we know are coming. Many rumours have been circulating about specifications and such, and how it might fare in competition with the other consoles.
However, I'm not interested in that, but instead about the games that are coming. Last month was ideas from me, so this month puts focus on the games we know are confirmed. I was surprised and excited to note that Warner announced LEGO City Undercover to no longer be a Wii U exclusive. As well as PC, Xbox One, and PS4, it is also coming to the Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo Switch was announced last month, and between now and January when the full information reveal is set to be, I'll be covering some things here. As mentioned in the monthly update, this month is games I would like to see.
The first is a game I have an idea of, though changes every so often. It expands on what Wii Sports Resort gave us, including numerous other ideas within that. I am talking about Mii Resort Paradise, in which I gave numerous ideas for in a post way back in March 2015. Look on it if you want to gain some idea behind the thoughts to it, but I'll be covering some of that stuff here. |
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