Cliff Notes – The upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games line-up is depressingly bad
- The recent Nintendo Direct failed to excite fans, with many feeling uncertain about the Switch 2’s game line-up and lacking significant announcements.
- While the volume of games released this year is commendable, the choices seem uninspired, leaving fans disappointed with the lack of major titles like Super Smash Bros. and mainline Pokémon games.
- The overall sentiment suggests that while the Switch 2 has potential, early adopters may regret their purchase due to a subpar selection of games since launch.
The upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games line-up is depressingly bad
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is not everyone’s cup of tea (Nintendo)
After another controversial Nintendo Direct, a reader regrets getting the Switch 2 at launch and criticises the current schedule of new games.
I think it’s fair to say the Nintendo Direct on Friday was not as good as everyone was hoping. For a 60 minute Direct, I didn’t really come away from it very excited or very assured that Nintendo know what they’re doing with the Switch 2’s line-up. I’m not even sure what was supposed to be the biggest annoucement. A new Fire Emblem game? Good for whoever likes that franchise, but I don’t think it’s really all that many and it certainly didn’t get me excited.
The Direct started off okay, with the 40th anniversary games, but there wasn’t actually anything that was new and had anything to do with Super Mario Bros. That Yoshi game had some nice graphics but I’m not sure there’s anything there for adult fans. Which again is fine – Nintendo has to appeal to all sorts – but what was there supposed to be for regular fans?
Metroid Prime 4 looked good but it was only shown for a minute and then what else was there? A Hades 2 release date and the expensive joke of the Virtual Boy. This was another bad Direct in a long line of bad Directs this year and I’m really beginning to regret getting the Switch 2 so early.
Mario Kart World is good, but I think a lot of people feel that it’s not quite what it should be. There’s not enough content and the open world is very empty. A good bit of DLC might be able to fix that but that was another thing we didn’t get at the Direct. Instead, we got paid-for DLC for Donkey Kong Bananza, that looks like they knocked it up in an afternoon.
In terms of the amount of stuff they’re releasing this year they’ve actually done well. You can’t complain about the volume of games but the choices of what to make… I don’t get it at all. I guess it’s true that it’s just what can be made quickly and cheap, and ideally by someone that’s not one of Nintendo’s own studios, but I still don’t understand.
If Splatoon is so big in Japan, then why is the only game announced so far some spin-off that hasn’t even got a release year yet? Considering how little change there was between Splatoon 2 and 3 how is a fourth game not the easiest thing possible to make quickly?
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
All these Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games and yet nothing for Super Smash Bros.? Surely a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the most obvious thing in the world, given they keep saying they don’t know what to do for a new game. Just add some new characters to Ultimate and instant hit. It doesn’t have to be released this year but at least announce it!
And why all these Pokémon spin-offs but no actual new mainline game? You could say the same for Kirby too. Not that I particularly like the character but surely a new platformer would’ve been a lot more appealing than a Mario Kart style racing game?
I get that it’s going to be a while before we get another proper Zelda but literally anything would’ve been a better spin-off than another Hyrule Warriors. There’s no word on a new Animal Crossing though, even though they stopped support for the last one years ago, which, if I remember, was announced quite a bit before it was released.
There’s probably a very good chance the Switch 2 will end its life as a really good console but at the moment I’m not sure I’d really recommend it to anyone. I don’t feel like I’ve been ripped off, or that I’ve completely wasted my money, but I do feel like I jumped in too early and should’ve waited.
The console is good but the line-up of games since launch, it’s just been bad. There’s no two ways about it. I don’t really know why but now that the last big Direct of the year is over I also don’t know when it will get better.
By reader Onibee
At least Yoshi And The Mysterious Book looks good (Nintendo)
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