A Worthy Successor? (Switch 2 Review)

     Hey friends, I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a Nintendo Switch 2 really early on, and now that the console has been out about a month, I'm excited to share a little bit about how the console feels, and my impressions on the one Switch 2 game that I've been able to play so far, Mario Kart World. It has felt like a long wait, even though the system has only really been known about since February, but I'm glad that we're finally here and I hope that the games that are coming soon will be nice!

The New (Old) Console!

    The interesting thing about the Switch 2 is that this is the first console that I can remember Nintendo making where they didn't come up with a brand new concept. The NES to the SNES, they added a new controller with many new buttons, from there, we have the Nintendo 64, again with a bold and weird new controller that worked with 3D games while looking like a pitchfork. With the Gamecube, Nintendo finally switched from cartridges to discs (though they were still discs that were smaller than anything else on the market), and the controller was different, now sporting two joysticks and utilizing analog shoulder buttons which could change functionality based on how hard you push down on them. Wii, of course, threw everything out the window and made motion controls take center stage with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk configuration. Wii U didn't completely rewrite the rulebook, but did add the Gamepad which was a huge difference, even if people didn't understand exactly what it was. The Switch marked the first hybrid console, where it was a portable and a home console that could fit into a dock and play on TV easily. The games went back to the cartridge system to account for the smaller size of the console itself. The controllers, or Joy Cons, slid into the sides of the system to make it feel like one big package. With the Switch 2, we have that same layout but bigger, and now it's using magnetic Joy Cons instead of a rail system. I doubted that this console would feel very different, but it feels nice. The Joy Cons are a bit bigger than they were with the Switch, and they definitely feel better to hold, now we just have to hope that Joy Con drift isn't a problem with this new model.

    Mario Kart World is a great game. I want to get that out of the way right away, since I've really enjoyed it so far. The concept of the racetracks all appearing on one giant map is a great idea, and one that I didn't realize that I wanted until I saw that this was what it was. Of course, many games have taken this route in the past, to allow for free roaming in massive world maps, a nostalgic favorite of mine being Need For Speed Underground 2 or Burnout Paradise, but there's something exciting about Nintendo taking a cue like that for Mario Kart. Is this the massive game that will keep people tied over for hundreds and hundreds of hours while we wait for the next big game to come out for Switch 2? Probably not. This isn't anywhere near the level of content of something like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was back in 2017 when Switch 1 was releasing, but it is still very good. Mario Kart World isn't the only game coming out this year, of course, we actually have a few coming soon. Donkey Kong Bananza just came out recently and I have been fortunate enough to play it a good amount so far, so be looking forward to a full review of that in the days ahead. We also have Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Kirby Air Riders, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment to look forward to later in the year. 

    More good news comes up when you consider just how massive the Switch's library was, and that many of those games will run better than they did on the original hardware. Some games that had some definite issues with frame rate run much better on the Switch 2. I don't know enough about the technological reasons behind it, but from what I understand, some games didn't have capped frame rates and because of that, it would fluctuate a lot on the old Switch, and now that the Switch 2 can handle that, the games look better, even if a free patch or a Switch 2 version hasn't come out. Bayonetta 3 is one that people have been discussing a lot as being much better now than it was. I didn't have much of a problem with it when it first came out, but I'm excited to replay it and see just how good it looks now. This isn't going to fix every issue with every game, of course, but I'm excited to see just how much better some titles look here.

    While I'm at it, let's talk about the Switch 2 versions of games, why don't we? These are basically the same as the game on the switch, but they're going to look better and have some sort of additional content that may use some additional features of the Switch 2. For example, on July 24, we're getting a new version of Super Mario Party Jamboree, called Super Mario Party Jamboree+ Jamboree TV. In this new update (which you can get if you have the original game by buying the upgrade pack), they include new modes which utilize the camera, the microphone (which is built into the system), and mouse mode with the Switch 2 Joy-cons. There are a few of these upgrades coming out, but I'm definitely the most excited for Kirby and the Forgotten Land-Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World. I'm not aware of what exactly it's going to entail, but I loved that game, so I'm really excited for more content in Kirby's first fully 3D adventure.

    There's not too much to say right now, just because the console has only been out just over a month, but I'm looking forward to covering lots of more news in the years ahead. What are your thoughts on the Switch 2 so far? Have you picked one up? Are you still confused about why we have a second Switch now? I know I've gotten the question many times, "What's better about this new one?" The main answer I have is that it's a new console, so the hardware is more powerful, and they're going to stop making games for the old one sometime in the near future. Thanks so much for reading, everyone, and feel free to let me know somewhere online what you think of this new system! I hope you're as excited as I am for the future! Until next time, I'm Jonathan, a Self-Proclaimed gamer, and I'll talk to you again soon!