(Warning: Nothing major beside spoilers for today's Nintendo Direct, some politics, swearing and negativity.)
Never thought I’ll make another Nintendo Direct blog so soon after the last one. But here we are…
Prior to this year, there were numerous leaks of what the upcoming Switch 2 looked like. Some looked real, others not. It was so bad; Nintendo had to quickly make an announcement video of the Switch 2, in order to silence those leakers! Too bad many complained that its’ two minute video was dull, boring and that the Switch 2, is basically what the leakers confirmed to be.
To make matters worse, Nintendo then announced that the Switch 2 Direct won’t happen until APRIL, which means fans have to wait almost three months to see if is worth it! Because of that, some say that if today's Switch 2 Direct fails to impress everyone, then Nintendo is going back to the Dark Ages. Anyone who was around during the Wii U era, know that they don’t want to go back there!
Despite the gloom and doom, the rest decide to sit and wait to see how good the Switch 2 is.
Then around last week, Nintendo decided for some reason to announce ANOTHER Direct! This time it’s for the current Switch console since they know that not everyone is going to buy the Switch 2 for a while due to the cost. And also to keep the fans entertain while they wait for the Switch 2 to come out, if they’re planning to buy it (which I'm hearing according to rumors, it'll be release in June since their main target audience [families and kids], will be out of school in the West for summer break).
In that Direct, they mostly show footage of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Z-A, announce remaster and imports of various indie and 3rd party games such as Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha VS the Soulless Army, Patapon 1 and 2 and Tamagotchi Plaza. Some software updates for the original Switch and a new mobile app, where they can keep players updated on everything they announce (so they can keep the leakers off their backs for their future plans).
However during the Direct, they announced both Rhythm Heaven AND Tomodachi Life are getting sequels, which shocked many (and made Tumblr users VERY HAPPY) as it's been nearly a decade since those two games were last released! I said that because there’s the fact that majority of them grew up playing the two games on the 3DS and was getting nostalgic over them as of late.
It was thanks to the surprise announcements, many said the two games saved the Direct from becoming a total snooze fest. Mainly because everyone was more focused on the upcoming Switch 2 Direct than last Direct, as many said that should’ve happen in February.
Not surprisingly after the Direct, there were memes on Rhythm Heaven and Tomodachi Life fans going crazy on the announcements, various fan art of Rhythm Heaven: Groove and the two female Miis that appear at the end of the Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’s trailer and then getting mad that they have to wait until next year for their games to get out! Oops.
Now I don’t know how today’s Switch 2 Direct, will topple what happen after last week’s Direct, as we don't know any new games beside the new Mario Kart game they showed back in January. We know that there a mouse feature with the JoyCons and a new C button that appears on the right JoyCon. Like, anything can happen in the hour long Direct!
However despite the hype of the upcoming Switch 2 Direct, I’m worried that it's not going to look good for some reason. And if Nintendo mess this up, then it'll cause everyone to abandon the company, once more!
Bah!
That’s my anxiety playing tricks on my brain again (even thought I won't get getting the Switch 2 anytime soon because I'm broke).
So let’s see what happen today…
The Switch 2 Direct came and went and I think Nintendo might be heading back to the Dark Ages. I said that because after the presentation ended, I went on Reddit, Lemmy and Tumblr to see people’s various reaction. It was mixed, VERY MIXED!
People on Reddit HATED the Direct as they was barely any new 1st party games being released this year, beside Mario Kart World (which is getting release on launch day, June 5th) and Donkey Kong Banaza (which comes out a month after the Switch 2 launch)! Well they did announce other 1st party games like The Duskbloods, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment and Kirby Air Riders (which many said it saved the Direct from going THAT bad). Too bad they won’t be released until either later this year or next year! Instead, it’s basically indie and 3rd party games that’ll keep the Switch 2 afloat for now.
Reddit (and Lemmy) also didn’t like that the Switch 2 games are now $80/$90, depending on if you buy the game digitally or physically. People are already mad that they have to pay $70 for AAA games or anything that came from Sony and Microsoft. Then here’s Nintendo who decided to make it worst by jacking up the prices and justify it due to the hardware! Now people are worried that they might copy what Nintendo did and make video games inaccessible for working class gamers and those who live in poorer countries.
So expect $100 games by the start of the next decade! /s
As for the software, the camera and the chat feature (which confirm what the C button is on the Switch 2) looks nice. Too bad the camera quality look ass and it appears to be laggy. Then people complain that the Switch 2 home screen looks boring, like the home screen in the original Switch. Then there’s the fact the battery life on the Switch 2 is EVEN worse than the original Switch, which will scare away many who hated the battery life on the Switch! I saw on one comment on Reddit that while he was watching the Switch 2 Direct, he end up buying the Steam deck for his kids instead as it has better games and better battery life than the Switch 2!
That’s not a good sign for Nintendo…
Then there they mention they made a new game, called Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which allows you to play minigames and demos so you can get in hand of the Switch 2 controllers. Too bad it’s going to cost money and many complain that it should’ve been free, just like Astro’s Playroom when the PlayStation 5 came out!
But at least Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is finally coming to the Switch 2, after years of rumors and hope that Nintendo import the Wii U version to the hybrid console! /s
Expect they’re importing the Game Cube version of the game instead as they announce that the Game Cube is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch Online subscription’s Classic Game Library. But you can only play it on the Switch 2 and you have to pay for the Expansion Pack in order for it to work!
Many were disappointed that the improved Wii U version will now be forever locked away on the Wii U as they rather import the original version instead. Then people said that the same thing will happen to Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess as there were also rumors that Nintendo might import the Wii U version as well. At least Luigi’s Mansion and F-Zero GX will eventually come on the Nintendo Classics with HD graphics…right?
Then there are some original Switch games that are getting a Switch 2 edition on the new console, such as Super Mario Party Jamboree, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, where they add some bonus content in some of the games. Too bad you have to pay for an upgrade pack (which is around $80) in order for it to work! At least it won’t be that bad if you already have the game on the original Switch and you decided to import to the Switch 2… hopefully.
People on Tumblr on the other hand, they LOVED the Direct as they were happy that chapter 3-4 of Deltarune was finally announced. That after six years of suffering, the long awaited Hollow Knight sequel is finally confirmed to come out this year! That Kirby Air Riders is finally getting a new game after 20 years and so is Donkey Kong as well as it’s getting its first new platformer game in years. They were happy that Zelda is the protagonist once again in the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. And that they liked Mario Kart World, as the game look good and like the open world setting the game is in.
They were also happy that Kirby and the Forgotten Land is getting a DLC expansion for the Switch 2 along with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and more. Then they’re glad that the Game Cube is joining the Nintendo Switch Online and that Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker will be there on launch day. But they rather have the Wii U import of the game instead. At least they know other Game Cube games will be joining them later this year.
Yeah, I experience some serve mood lash when looking at the various social media sites to see people’s various reaction. Out all of them, Tumblr (and even some people on Status.cafe) was more positive on Switch 2 Direct. Although they later changed their tune when they heard about the Switch 2 price, which is $450 (which is $50 more than my estimate guest as I said it’ll be around $300-$400) and $500 if you want to bundle it with Mario Kart World. Then they heard that some of the Switch 2 game cards will only include a download key, which means RIP physical gaming! But so far, it’s only for some 3rd party games and none of the 1st party games. Yet.
But I'm worried as I wonder what would happen to the those games when the Switch 2 online server eventually shuts down in the future.
So at the end of the day (and after going to sleep from staying up for 20 hours to catch the Direct), I think the Switch 2 is going to flop because nobody want to pay $450 for a console that barely changed and has worst battery life than the original Switch. And that they don’t like they have to pay $90 for a physical copy and just to relieve it’s only a download key and there’s a lack of 1st party games when the Switch 2 comes out. Like it’s so bad, some people on Tumblr are hoping it fucking flops so Nintendo can quickly reduce the price of the Switch 2, just like they did when the Wii U and the 3DS flopped in 2012!
Then at the same time, people said Nintendo fucking deserved it as they complain that the company stopped being fun and they’re now as boring as Sony and Microsoft. They're also very anti-customer as they like to make remasters of games and make them more expensive than when the game originally came out and that they like to take down fan games and emulators, once in a full moon!
Welp, if the Switch 2 is going to flop this year, then at least Nintendo had a good run with the original Switch. As it not only brought gamers back to the long time gaming company, but it started a Renaissance era of indie games dominating the Switch after they abandon Nintendo during the Wii U era.
For now, I’ll be sticking to Steam and emulators on my laptop once more as I’m too broke to get the Switch 2 and to renew my Nintendo Switch Online subscription. And due to the upcoming Recession that my country is going though because of those traiffs that our "president" put in place today.
I hope the flop of the Switch 2 doesn’t mean the end of Nintendo as we know it. But something tells me that it might in the future…