A reader examines the pros and cons of the Nintendo Switch 2 launch and argues the 2025 line-up is perfect for casual gamers, even if other fans are disappointed.
I think a lot of people are starting to realise that the Nintendo Switch 2 launch has been a bit of a let-down. Only one good game and no clue as to what is happening with most of the big franchises. Literally no clue, because how do you follow up the Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? The formula has already been perfected, so either you reinvent it again or… you do what Nintendo is doing with this year’s line-up.
I know some fans are holding out for a secret big Christmas game, but I would bet anything there’s not going to be one. The games scheduled for this year may look minor and uninteresting to long-time Nintendo fans but I think the truth is they’ve been very carefully and cleverly chosen.
Hardcore fans might be upset at the Switch 2 at the moment, but Nintendo isn’t, not with it being the fastest selling console ever, and ordinary people aren’t going to be either. Whatever problems you and I might have with Mario Kart World (I’m assuming anyone reading this is at least a relatively hardcore gamer) ordinary people don’t see a problem at all.
I think that Nintendo might have learned a little to well from Sony and the PlayStation 5. What is the big take away for this generation, from Sony’s point of view? That the less you do and say the more you get rewarded. Sony has no competition from Xbox now, so the PlayStation 5 is really the only console to buy. They don’t have to do anything to earn people’s support, except make less of a mess of things than Xbox, which is not difficult.
Nintendo hasn’t had any direct competition since the Switch started. If it wasn’t for the Wii U you could say they’ve been untouchable since the Wii in 2006. Nintendo has a captive audience, that likes their stuff and most people are, for good reasons, very happy with how the Switch 1 turned out. So, I really don’t see any eventuality where the Switch 2 isn’t a massive success or, I should say, doesn’t continue to be a massive success.
The Switch 2 could probably go its whole generation just being the Mario Kart machine, which the Switch 1 pretty much did. Obviously, there will be other games, they’ve got Donkey Kong in just a few weeks, but Mario Kart and whatever Mario game they release to tie into the new movie next year is going to keep Nintendo execs in unicorn pâté for a long time to come.
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What I’m saying, is that we need to calm down a bit with wild expectations and then getting upset because those, completely made-up, expectations don’t come true. Nintendo’s in no hurry with any of this. They don’t want to cannibalise sales of the games they’ve got out this year, which include a Donkey Kong game (that seems close to being a 3D Mario), a Zelda game, a Pokémon game, a Kirby game, and a new Metroid Prime.
The Zelda and Pokémon ones are spin-offs, that might not be that great, and I’m not sure anyone cares about Kirby, but on top of that you’ve got new content for Super Mario Party Jamboree and Kirby And The Forgotten Land this year.
That really is all the big hitters, in some form or another, and while hardcore gamers can pick problems with all of them (even Metroid Prime 4, in the sense that it’s still basically a Switch 1 game) that is not going to matter to casual gamers.
Your average parent looking to see whether the Switch 2 is worth getting their kids for Christmas is going to see it has all these major franchises represented right from the start and they’re going to think it’s a worthwhile investment.
They’re not going to complain about the screen not being OLED or whether Game-Key Cards are a good idea, they’re going to care that it has all the games their kids like and, despite what they’ve heard, none of them are £80.
It may not seem that way to the likes of you and me, but I’m afraid to say the Nintendo Switch 2 launch was almost perfect, even if I’m not all that happy with it myself.
By reader Gunther
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