Posted on by kermit

Having played the Nintendo Switch… [Part 3]

In case you’re landing here through a search engine or shared link…
Day 1 -> The Switch itself, Sonic Mania, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Day 2 -> Joy-Cons, 1 2 Switch, Why the price?

Jumping straight back in…

Next on the hitlist of Switch games I played at the event was the new IP “ARMS“.

During the Switch Presentation, the trailer seemed relatively fun, but then afterwards when it became apparent this was to be considered a big title that was asking for £49.99 UK / $59.99 US.  It seemed a bit bare bones for the price.

The Switch UK Premiere had quite a few setups of “Arms” on display so it was relatively easy at any time to get some games in.  Me and one of my friends I was there with were simply walking towards something else at the time and a Nintendo promo team guy was lively and enthusiastic about getting us to play the vacant machine he was in charge of, so it would’ve been rude not too.

Controls wise, the game plays exactly like Wii Sports Boxing.  You hold 2 Joy-Cons upwards as if you’re ‘putting up yer dukes’, you tilt both your Joy-Cons to the left to move left, to the right to move right, forward for…you get the drill.  You make punching gestures with each Joy-Con just like Wii Sports Boxing, you tilt both Joy-Cons towards each other to do a block, and throw both punches at the same time to issue a grab.  Buttons on the Joy-Con can be pressed to trigger things like a temporary hyper/ rage mode meter or dodge moves.

Handling and response wise, this game is far superior to Wii Boxing.  Thankfully the game has established a way to stop people doing the old “throw a flurry of punches and hope for the best” technique, and added more depth and strategy to how you’d approach the fight.  This is achieved through all the characters being built to fight at a distance, so once you’ve thrown out a punch or a grab you’ll have to wait till it’s come to an end (whether that be landing a hit, being blocked, punched back at you, or just missing the target).

Each character has a unique feel and you have selectable mix & match fist-sets which I assume will be quite fun in finding out what of all those options suit your own play style (and could potentially open up a tier list depending on how well the game is balanced).  The core moves had a bit of a Rock/ Paper/ Scissors action to them too.  Blocks stop Punches, Punches can interrupt a Grab, and Grabs overcome blocks.  If you’re nimble you have the chance to react and counter your opponents attacks.

Each match was your standard best of 3 rounds fight.  However I only played 3 matches against my friend and didn’t feel the desire to play anymore (though I had chance to).  That’s mainly due to wanting to play things I hadn’t already whilst I was there.  I have no intention of pre-ordering this game at present, I’ll simply wait till reviews come out to see if the in-game offerings are substantial enough, and get an idea of if the gameplay is anywhere close to the depth a fighting game would have to ensure some long time replayability.

Speaking of fighting games…!!  Check out this nostalgia sparking trailer…

On to “Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers“.  Really I don’t need to say much about this game.  Everyone knows what Street Fighter is about.  So I don’t want to patronise anyone by talking too much about it.

What I can say though is that it looked great.  If you played Street Fighter II HD Remix a few years back then you know what to expect.  USFIITFC (rolls off the tongue) is very much like HD Remix, just with the addition of some new modes, and some new characters.  The addition of 2 new characters (Evil Ryu and Violent Ken) is an interesting one, and a bit of fan service to long time Capcom fans with it’s nods to the Street Fighter II Animé movie.   Online multiplayer is confirmed too.

On the subject of Fighting Games (a genre I’ve already stated I’m eager to fall deeply into again in 2017).
It has been announced that King of Fighters 98, WakuWaku 7 and more are coming to Switch.

Definitely one of the more obscure and leaning towards the weirder side of Japan when it comes to fighting games, but I can’t wait to have this come back into peoples homes again.  I suppose their is a possibility it would remain Japan-Only, but thanks to the region free nature of the Switch, importing is no issue.

I’d welcome the Switch becoming an off shoot home for some exclusive fighting games.  Respected name in the arcade stick scene “Hori” have a fight stick coming out for the system too, could become a worthy investment as time goes on.  Before I move on….Capcom!  Please make a Tatsunoko vs Capcom 2.  Arigato.

Super Bomberman R.  Like Ultra Street Fighter… this too doesn’t require too much explanation.  First and foremost.  It has the classic multiplayer that everyone (should) know and love.  Up to 8 players, and has a variety of modes to play with to further keep that interesting.  A timeless strategic frantic party game that I personally will be playing on Day 1 and keep coming back to it for the entirety of the consoles life span.

The game also has a story mode too.  Increasingly difficult stages to make your way through with the inclusion of some interesting boss fights along the way.  Better yet, the story mode can be played co-operative.  Pair the story and the multiplayer battles with the fact that this system is ever so portable and always easy to initiate multiplayer wherever you are and you’ve got yourself a fine mix.

Great to hear that apparently Nintendo were the ones that contacted Konami about getting this on the Switch.  Konami haven’t had the greatest reputation with gamers in recent times so it’s nice to see that they haven’t completely retreated and are still aware that they bought out Hudson (Bombermans creators).

Splatoon 2

Before getting into the game.  This was the only game I played at the Switch event that I used the Switch Pro Controller on.  The important thing was it felt very comfortable and buttons were all naturally reachable.  Given the nature of Splatoon being very frantic and only playing it once I didn’t really have time to take in whether or not the controller had HD rumble to the extent that the Joy-Cons offered, although the motion controls were very responsive.  I want to say they’re greater than the DualShock 4’s motion controls, although I can’t fairly say that without having played some games for the PS4 that have really asked motion tilts of me in a hectic game.

Splatoon 2 as the name suggests is a sequel to one of the WiiU’s breakout stars.  Whilst not the best selling game on the WiiU, this is a brand new franchise that came out of nowhere and has become a fan favourite the world over.

To catch some non WiiU owners up to speed.  Splatoon is a team based 3rd person shooter with a twist.  Instead of a game being decided based on which team got the most kills, Splatoon is measured by how much combined paint your team can splat all over the arena in a couple of minutes.

You get to define how your character plays through plenty of character customisation which essentially acts as your stat distribution, allowing you to define which characteristics you like over others.  Choices like speed, defence, offence, ammo respawn, etc.  Alongside that your weapon choices are practically akin to a “class”.  Long range, short range, heavy damage, frantic speed, not forgetting special moves too.

You can find yourself many hours into the game and still enjoy a curiosity to try out new things to freshen up how you play or find yourself trying to find your perfect setups for each weapon type in order to be a master of all.

From what I played the game felt great.  I tried out one of the new weapon classes (double pistols with a jet pack special move).  I had an unfortunate external hard drive issue on my WiiU which cut my Splatoon playing time short (due to data loss and a loss of morale due to that), so I’m as ready as can be to ride a new wave of competitive Splatoon play.

The first game was well balanced, and received a constant flow of free DLC content.  Nintendo were quick to patch any minor issues, and I can’t forget some of the great weekend Splatfests they held.  This is a day 1 buy for me.


Check out the link above for a cool live rock show Nintendo’s in-house music guys did for the Switch celebration of recent.  Opens up with Splatoon, and further moves onto Xenoblade, Mario Kart, and more…

and last but the opposite of least…

Snipperclips

After Zelda, this was the 2nd most sought after game to be played (as evident by queue times).  It was also a game that the Nintendo staff at the event were constantly insisting I must play when talking to me about games I had left to play that day.

Well they weren’t wrong.

Snipperclips is an indie title being developed in London, England exclusively for Nintendo Switch.  It’s a co-op focused game in which you and a friend control 2 paper characters and must use your heads to solve a bunch of puzzles that can differ drastically from one level to the next.

Each player has the ability to snip away at the other players paper by overlapping them and pressing a button.  Trimming and reshaping your partner is an important part of the game as some levels require specific team cut outs.
Some examples included having to trim each other into a certain shape then rotate ourselves specifically in order to completely fill a silhouette of a shape which then let us progress.

Another level required one of us to be trimmed into a thin stick like object in order to press a button that was down a narrow gap, this then released a basketball which the other person needed to be cut into a bucket like shape in order to be able to carry the ball and get it through a basketball net.

I think we only played 5 levels of the game, it perhaps took about 8-10mins, and for the entire time it was constant laughs.  You’re on a timer for each level so that element of panic mixed with 2 people trying to formulate and then articulate a plan of action seemed to lead to constant hilarity.  On paper (pun sort of intended) the stress of puzzle solving under a time limit is usually stressful, but the lively facial expressions on the in game characters, along with the movement animation and simple art style just really made this game special.

Not quite sure if it works as well being shown in the video below but take my word for it, to play or witness others play it in person it is a gem!

I absolutely cannot wait to own this game at home.  Not only so I can play the full game but whenever I have multiple people over and I want to inspire laughter and entertainment for everyone in the room, I’ll pair up 2 friends and just watch how they try and problem solve their way through the game.

I REALLY hope this game catches on as it deserves too.  I REALLY want this game series to be a franchise.  Heck.  I REALLY want the Snipperclips represented in a future Smash Bros.

For those wanting a size comparison. I took my original Game Boy (that I had signed all over by the guys of Anamanaguchi).

and in case you don’t have a Game Boy familiar, then below you can see the Game Boy next to a Vita, WiiU Gamepad, Sega Game Gear, Walkers Squares, McVities Penguin.

So before I end my final Switch preview post (aside from a Zelda focused post), let me once again try and douse the flames from some of the needless internet hate…

First, the audience.  A lot of people criticise Nintendo as being for kids, or too family orientated.  Which is apparently a bad thing? 

Look, I get that behind outlandish statements people are essentially asking for more “adult” focused games.  I can’t promise this console will necessarily deliver heavily on that front, but Nintendo always have this content.  The Gamecube had plenty, the Wii had plenty, and even the relatively shallow pool of games available for the WiiU had the likes of Bayonetta 2, Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water, ZombiU, and arguably Xenoblade Chronicles, Monster Hunter, and Zelda are titles that a LOT of adult gamers are drawn to.

If your someone who denies themselves of franchises like Mario, Sonic, Kirby, Pokémon, etc based on them having a look that can also appeal to kids then I think you’ve really misunderstood the idea of “growing up”.

It’s great to be talking about Nintendo in the same sentences as “Bomberman”, “Street Fighter II”, “Mario Kart”, and “Zelda” again.  It’s moves like this that whilst they could very well appeal to kids, it’s as if a seance has been done with a Super Nintendo and hot properties from that era are taking to stage again.

Another good point I saw tweeted this past week was that a lot of the promotional stuff for Switch focuses around adults playing the console (not kids or families as Nintendo have usually shown for the past decade).

Nintendo can effortlessly win over kids, they’re the “Disney” of the video game industry (with even more parallels once Super Nintendo Land comes to Universal Studios theme parks).

Before clicking off elsewhere, be sure to check out the interview below to hear Reggie open up a little more than he is known to.  Further promise for the Switch and it’s direction.

Thanks for sticking with me through for my Switch previews.  As a relatively new endeavour after a long time away from writing about games it means a lot when I can take a hobby-passion combo of mine and use it to interest, entertain, or at the least arm you with another persons opinion or side of the argument when you’re having gaming conversation elsewhere.