PixlBit

I got a Nintendo Switch for Christmas, so here, I am going to give you some of my thoughts on it.

To my surprise, I was excited for it when it was first announced. It's been at least since the end of the PS2/Gamecube/Xbox era since I was that excited for new video game hardware. Part of it is that we've entered an era of diminishing returns. Each new generation before heralded a huge leap in graphics and (usually) sound, and often times the anticipation was built in the arcades, which were often the testing grounds for new graphics technology at the time. Now, arcades are niche and graphics just aren't improving as much as they are used to. I get on board with new generations of consoles because that's where the games are going, but it wasn't the same as waiting for the SNES, the N64, the PS2, or even the then-revolutionary Game Boy. I also chalked some of this up to my age. I've just turned 40, and maybe I didn't have the same excitement for new toys as I once did.  But I knew I wanted the Switch from the first day it was unveiled.

One reason is the versatility for which it was touted by Nintendo. With this system, by simply plugging it into its dock, you can play your Switch games on TV. When you want it to be portable, you simply undock it. It's that easy. I've always invested in devices that let you play portable games on TV. I got a Super Game Boy with my Super NES, and I got the Game Boy Player that was made for the Gamecube that let you play classic GB and GBA games. I also own both a PS Vita and a PSTV.

During the 7th gen, as well as the 6th generation to a degree, a lot of the best games were on handhelds. This is because developing for the HD twins was expensive and their success caught a lot of Japanese developers, even big companies like Nintendo and Square Enix, off guard. So they made handheld games, and some of them escaped to the freemium market on iOS and Android (yuck!). Now don't get me wrong, I like portable gaming, and one of my most memorable Christmases ever was getting my Game Boy in 1989. But it kind of hurt seeing games like Valkyria Chronicles 2, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Dragon Quest IX confined to the smaller screens of the DS and PSP, with resolutions that more resembled the N64 and PS1 than they did the PS3, 360, or even the Wii. There were so many games on the traditional handheld systems that I wish I could have played on my TV screen as well as portables.

With the Switch, Nintendo is hanging on to its stable of portable developers, so a lot of these games are now going to be playable on TV or on the go, in high definition. Portable high-resolution Dragon Quest XI? Yes, please. Breath of the Wild on the go or on TV? Atlus? Oh yes. And the Switch has a really nice-looking screen. Sure, it's not on par with the PS4 or Xbox One, but if the Switch line continues to succeed, we will see more powerful versions down the road.

And the system is so much fun. I actually mostly play it on TV, but the next time I have to spend hours getting my car serviced, I'll have Breath of the Wild, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, or whatever the big game out at that time is. I'm even considering getting certain multiplatform games like Valkyria Chronicles 4 for the Switch instead of the PS4, and maybe even Dragon Quest XI. It's almost like being a kid with a NES, SNES, or Game Boy again.

So far, some of my favorites on the Switch include:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Easily my favorite game on the Switch, and it's fast becoming one of my all-time favorite games. It could end up becoming my favorite Zelda game ever, and I could even make a case for it becoming my all-time favorite game. It's recaptured the spirit and wonder of playing the original game in 1988, and I never expected to have that here in 2018.

Super Mario Odyssey: My favorite Super Mario game is (or maybe was) Super Mario 64, which was a free-roaming platforming marvel. The SMG series put the games back on rails somewhat. I'm glad Nintendo is taking Mario off the rails again with this game.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2. This game is good, and it's huge, but it is kicking my ass. I'm hoping this will be the beginning of a robust RPG library for the Switch. Nintendo systems have been a bit iffy on RPGs since the big Nintendo/Square breakup in the mid-90s. With games like Project Octopath Traveler, Valkyria Chronicles 4, Dragon Quest XI, and the new Fire Emblem SRPG that is hopefully coming this year, it looks like I don't have anything to worry about there.

Mario Bros. One of my favorite arcade games of all time is on the Switch in its original arcade form, which has never before been released on a home system. Nintendo is letting Hamster bring most of its arcade catalog to the Switch through the Arcade Archives series. Hopefully, at some point, that will involve Nintendo and Ikegami Tsushinki burying the hatchet and allowing the release of the arcade versions of Donkey Kong and DK Junior, which are both far superior to their incomplete NES versions, especially the first game.

Celeste, which is a tough-as-nails indie platformer in the style of Super Meat Boy.

Doom. Nintendo actually had a pretty good relationship with the Doom franchise in the mid-90s, and now the franchise is back on Switch. It's one of the Switch's most graphically demanding games.

Is the Switch perfect? No. Nintendo still hasn't officially put out a Virtual Console, even with Hamster handling arcade games through Arcade Archives and ACA Neo-Geo. I think Nintendo is trying to maximize the sales of the SNES classic edition, and the rumored (re)-releases of the NES Classic and Game Boy Classic editions. Rumor has it that Nintendo will have the GameCube and Wii as part of the Switch VC. I'm particularly excited about the Gamecube. Although the GC Zeldas might be nice, the game I'm really hoping for is Tales of Symphonia. Nintendo still needs to work on its online infrastructure, and later this year they will be offering a premium online gaming service. But hopefully Nintendo will step up to the challenge this time. They seem to be really trying with the bigger third-party developers this time, and they need to keep it up, since third party has been a signature weakness of Nintendo since the SNES. Hopefully Nintendo will work to address these things, and the Switch will have the potential to become one of the best gaming systems of all time, a game that combines the best of the console market with the best of the handheld market. And my Switch will even be the Nintendo arcade collection I've always wanted. It's mind-blowing that I hold a bigger arcade in the palm of my hand than the one in the mall near my home.