A reader gives his verdict on this week’s two Nintendo Directs and explains why he’s happy to stick with owning just a Switch 2, and not a PlayStation 5.
It’s been quite the week this week, with two Nintendo Directs and a Sony meltdown. Since the Switch 2 is the only current gen console I currently own, I’m technically only interested in the first two things. Although I have to say, the way Sony has been carrying on lately (by which I mean the whole generation) makes my problems with Nintendo seem very minor in comparison.
The biggest issue with Nintendo, as I see it, is priorities. Everyone’s been talking about it, but it really does seem as if they are purposefully fast-tracking the most obscure B and C-list franchises for… some reason.
We’re now about to get our second Kirby game and second Metroid title in two years and we haven’t even heard about a new Mario platformer (2D or 3D), Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros., or Splatoon 4. How you don’t do a Smash Bros. Ultimate Switch 2 Edition in the first few months I just don’t know. Especially as it’d be so easy to add in a couple of extra characters to sweeten the pot.
It’s weird and I don’t see how it makes any kind of business sense, but that’s not my problem. I’m generally satisfied with the Switch 2 so far. Nintendo might have weird priorities but at least their plan is something other than ‘release as few games as possible’, which I must say Sony is pulling off perfectly.
So I was perfectly happy with the Direct on Wednesday. The announcements might not have been massive, but they were something and of course the big news was the day before, with the remake of The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, aka the best video game ever made.
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Now, there’s been a lot of controversy over what they showed and I have to admit that I was a bit conflicted. I think the backgrounds look great, fantastic really given what the game used to look like, but I do think that Young Link looks very overdesigned. That pattern on his hood is very distracting and I’m not sure what it’s supposed to be.
Young Link is so overly cute he looks like one of those marzipan figurines they put on a wedding cake. The other Kokiri characters aren’t so bad though, so I just think they went overboard with him. If there was any mistake in the reveal, I think it was only showing Young Link sections, which made it seem more twee than it probably is. Even the voiceovers were only Young Link bits, which was probably a mistake as they were very cheesy.
I get the AI/Unreal Engine comparisons, but I really do think it’s more what they chose to show rather than the remake being a mistake. Watch the trailer, which has relatively little Young Link in it, and I think you get a completely different impression of the game.
Nintendo has got some criticism for focusing on a remake for their big Christmas game, rather than something new, but now that we’ve seen the game I’m fine with it. It’s over decade since we’ve had a new Zelda using the original formula, so I think people are ready for a bit of nostalgia before the next mainline game is announced.
When you look at the mess PlayStation and Xbox are in at the moment, I think it’s easy to appreciate Nintendo for what they are. They’re committed to single-player games, almost everything they make is good, and they don’t rip you off too much (Ocarina Of Time is actually cheaper than Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom).
Being loyal to a company that wants your money is never a good idea, but Nintendo is a much better industry leader than Sony. Or at least the Sony that exists now. They used to do a pretty good job but Xbox becoming a non-rival seems to have turned them mad with power and they only seem to live to troll fans now.
So for now, I’m more than happy with my Switch 2 but if I ever did get another system, it would be a PC, not a PlayStation.
By reader Glottis
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