On March 3rd 2017, Nintendo gave us one of their greatest systems ever, The Nintendo Switch. The Switch retailed for $299.99 and was released with 13 titles. It is now one year later and we got to put the system through its paces. How does it hold up one year later? What about the games? How do they stack up? Let’s discuss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdWd8fUC71g
I picked up the systems about a week after it launched. I scored the red and blue Joycon model on Amazon for the retail price. I also picked up Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, 1-2-Switch and Super Bomberman R. The games were great but I was really wanting a new Mario adventure but that wasn’t coming for several more months. Over the course of the year, I added Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Ultra Street Fighter 2 to my library. Mario Kart was a port of the Nintendo Wii U version that was released a couple years prior.
ARMS dropped June of 2017 and was a new original IP. It was being toted as the spiritual successor to Punch Out. It is a pretty good game but it was not enough to keep me coming back to the Switch on a daily basis. That was until I started traveling and was forced to use the portable feature. The Switch ended up being a great portable device! I actually really enjoy being able to play a game on the TV and then take that system with me and continue my game on the go.
So, gaming on the go was a win for me but the system did not shine until the release of Super Mario Odyssey. Odyssey dropped on October 27th, 2017 and I have been in love ever since. This is the game that the system was made for! Odyssey was everything I ever wanted in a Mario game and more. This game has beautiful graphics, amazing music, and perfect controls. This game clearly was ‘Game of the Year’ for me. It is the game that you will find in my system to this very day. I played it everyday until the unthinkable happened.
In January of 2018, my system stopped displaying to the television. To add insult to injury, I could not even get the system to charge. I decided that I needed to send my system into Nintendo for repair. No problem, I have done this before. Being Nintendo’s number one supporter, a system is bound to have issues and need repairs. Nintendo has been good in the past so why not now?
The first problem that I learned with needing to send your system in for repair is that you cannot backup your data. Save files that contain many hours spent on my entire Switch library is resting in the hands of a technician. This of course caused me some fear when sending my Switch in for repairs. The system was not functioning and it needed to be repaired, so I put my trust into Nintendo and sent it off.
About a week later, I had my system back in my hands. I read the repair notes and learned that they sent me a new unit. I immediately turned my system on and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my data had made it on this new device. So all was good. I decided to snap on my Joycons and…. wait a minute. The left Joycon was not connecting to the Switch!! I tried everything to get it to register. I even tried a different Joycon. I could not get the system to register. I had to send my system in again to have them fix this. This time when I called, they gave me overnight shipping to get my system back quicker to me. It took another 2 weeks but when I got it back it was the same system with the issue corrected.
We now are now starting the system’s second year and it looks like this is going to be an interesting year. First up, Nintendo is releasing a new IP called Nintendo Labo. Labo is a line of interactive build-and-play experiences that combine DIY creations with the Nintendo Switch. The software will release is various kits and will retail for $69.99 and up depending on kit. It is going to release on April 20, 2018!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3Bd3HUMkyU
Other games that are coming out this year are Metroid Prime 4, Yoshi for Switch, Kirby for Switch, and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. The Switch is also getting new third party releases this year as well. Square-Enix is giving us The World Ends With You – Final Remix. Dark Souls Remastered from Bandai Namco and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus from Bethesda rounds out some of the other titles that are coming.
Overall, the first year has been pretty great for this system. When there was a problem, Nintendo did everything in their power to make the repair status a painless as possible. I feel supporters are going to start to abandon the system if they keep releasing remakes and remasters instead of new games. Nintendo is risking a lot with Labo. I feel that even though this game is going to be marketed to kids, hardcore gamers are going to think this is all that Nintendo is about. This system is great and I cannot wait to see what they do with it over the next several years (VR anyone?). I have acquired a pretty decent library and I plan on it growing even more this year.
I appreciate this little creation that Nintendo has given us. I will back this this device until the next Nintendo system drops. If you want to hear some more discussion on the Switch, check out Retro Rebel Podcast. Stacy and I talk about how we feel about the system one year later. How do you feel about this little device one year later? Are you still playing Zelda on it? How many games have you grabbed this past year? We want to know. Give us your thoughts on the Nintendo Switch by commenting below.
