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REVIEW: NINTENDO SWITCH

6/3/2017

28 Comments

 
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How do you review a games console in isolation, without mentioning the games? That'd be like reviewing a car that you haven't driven, or a sandwich for its aesthetic qualities alone. 

Consequently, I cannot do that. Not now. Not ever. Please... please stop asking me. You'll get your Switch game reviews soon... but I've played four of them, and all have had an impact on how I view the system as a whole.

I've written a lot about the Switch in recent months. I was so disappointed by the Wii U, and Nintendo's handling of it, that it had coloured my overall sense of the company - and that colour was a deep brown. Also, while the Wii U had a bunch of rather splendid games, something was still missing for me.

I was hanging onto a lot of goodwill from the past, but my grip on it was starting to loosen. Making matters worse, I wasn't certain that Nintendo was succeeding in its Switch messaging.

​In fact, I'm still not sure that it has. 
USUALLY BUBBLE
Outside of your gamer bubble, how many people do you know who are aware of the Switch?

Think of the enormous media blitz which accompanies the launch of a new PlayStation. The Switch has been chronically low-key by comparison. I've got nephews who own Xboxes and PlayStations - the very definition of the casual gamer - and I doubt they even know the Switch exists.


The big question is whether that's a problem or not.

The answer is probably going to depend on whether the Switch contains enough crossover appeal, in the way the original Wii did - to get by on word of mouth - or whether it's enough for the company to merely have the Switch appeal to people who like Nintendo. At this stage... I don't know.

There are different ways of measuring success, but forget its impact on the wider market for now; arguably the most definitive measures in this instance are whether the machine is a success for the individual user, and for Nintendo. However Nintendo might quantify it.

I'm pretty certain that right now you can forget the big, big, console franchises appearing on the Switch. At least, in the form that that they appear on the PS4 and Xbox One.

If Zelda: Breath of the Wild is anything to go by, the machine wouldn't be able to handle something as graphically demanding and intense as a Call of Duty. Yes, it's early runnings, but we need to be realistic. The days are long gone when, say, the Super NES version of Street Fighter 2 was better than the version on the Mega Drive.
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SURPRISE!
So here's the thing that has really surprised me about the Switch, and what's troubling me about Nintendo's messaging: it's a handheld. Admittedly, it's the most powerful handheld games machine ever created, but it is - nevertheless - more a part of the Game Boy lineage, with a bit of NES DNA thrown into the mix.

The docking station works just fine - and it's a more or less seamless transition between the TV and holding the thing in your hands (although detaching the JoyCon controllers is slightly more fiddly than I'd have liked). But... it reminds me of the Super Game Boy - the old Super NES add-on, which allowed you to play Game Boy games on your telly.

Unfortunately, most of what Nintendo has told us seems to point towards it being a regular console, which is also portable. Admittedly, it's not quite a straightforward handheld either, but it's closer to that than a PlayStation or Xbox. 

Indeed, I've played it only once on the TV since it arrived on Friday, and it hasn't been back in its cradle. I've not even used the Pro Controller, which feels like a waste of £65. Yes - £65!! The JoyCon pads work just fine, whether they're detached and being used separately, or docked; I was half expecting my banana-like fingers to swallow them up, but there's something charmingly old-school about them. They're very Nintendo. Actually, the best thing add-on I bought for the Switch is an extra power adaptor.

Unlike the handhelds we've had before, the Switch also excels when it comes to multiplayer party-style games. Snipperclips, Bomberman and 1-2-Switch work great when the JoyCons are being used by a couple of players, and the screen is propped up on a table. Indeed, on Friday night the kids had a blast playing 1-2-Switch, with it stood on a coffee table - once I showed them what it was.
 
It's a shame, therefore, that the stand which folds out from the rear of the Switch is so darn flimsy; it's almost impossible to flick it out without the thing coming free. It snaps back into place easily enough, but it's one of the few aspects of the Switch which feels cheap. I'd also have liked some sort of screen protector, akin to Apple's iPad cover.

Like an itchy boy, it feels like it's asking to be scratched.
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PULLING
The Switch's relative lack of console-competing power is no more apparent than in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which was thrown into stark contrast for me, because I came to it just moments after playing the similarly open-world Horizon Zero Dawn.

I've read a lot of reviews of Breath of the Wild which talk about how beautiful it is. And it is a beautiful game. No question. 

Indeed, it's exactly what I ranted about recently, in my review of For Honor - about photorealistic graphics versus more stylised, curated, visuals. That's exactly what Zelda does, with Nintendo using the game to prove that maybe you don't need to be the most powerful machine to deliver the best-looking games. Which is fine if that's what the masses want, but my concern is that I'm not sure it is.

Thus far I love Zelda, but in the harsh light of Zero Dawn it serves only to highlight that the Switch doesn't have the same level of graphical clout. It becomes more problematic still when playing on the TV, where I noticed the game slow down more than once. 

Are the PS4 and Xbox One even rivals to the Switch anyway? I think this is where Nintendo's messaging has fallen down... because it's only now that I've played on it that it's clear Nintendo is doing something profoundly different.

​It isn't really trying to compete with Sony and Microsoft, but I worry that most potential punters won't see it that way. Because of that, it risks getting left behind in a three-horse race.
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DIE-HARD
Should you buy a Switch now? If you're not a die-hard Nintendo fan, I'd suggest seeing how you feel around Christmas, when the price drops inevitably, and after Mario Odyssey has been released.

Do you need one if you're a Wii U owner? Again, probably not - unless you really, really want to play Breath of the Wild on the train (though battery life, I've discovered, really isn't great).

Overall though, I'm impressed, but not in the way I expected. The Switch is so different to anything that has come before it, that it remains to be seen whether it can convey this to potential customers. And then whether it's even what those customers even want what's being offered. Like virtual reality, it is incredibly cool technology, and already is being utilised in fun, tell-your-mates-about-it, ways. I just want it to be seen as more than the novelty that I fear VR is becoming.

There are some issues with the design of the hardware - certain corners which feel like they've been cut. Plus, this is Nintendo once again defying the rest of the industry's endless quest for processing power. It is making a bold statement about game design, and gameplay, over and above everything else.

By including two controllers, and by making it portable, and by launching it with a game - 1-2-Switch, which really should've been bundled with the hardware - Nintendo is demanding that players converse, or look one another in the eye. In fact, it almost feels as if Nintendo is trying to teach the rest of the games industry an important lesson, stating that it has lost its way and its humanity.

Snipperclips is yet another demonstration of this philosophy, being a game which requires players to communicate in the real world, in order to succeed. Although, when my other half and I played it in bed the other night, we had a big argument, and I went to sleep sulking.

For me, domestic rattles aside, this is the success of the Switch at this stage; there's something warm about it, something which puts social connection at its heart - and not the kind of connection which happens online, behind screens.  

SUMMARY: The jury is still out, and it isn't perfect, but there's something very lovely about the Switch.
FROM THE ARCHIVE:
THE GREATEST CONSOLE LAUNCH TITLES OF ALL TIME
​
THE NINTENDO FANBOY IN ME STILL LIVES - MR BIFFO
REVIEW: FOR HONOR (PS4, XBOX ONE, PC - PS4 VERSION TESTED)

28 Comments
Fancy Pants
6/3/2017 12:55:16 pm

Analogue sticks - not very good. Inaccurate and creaky. Reminded me of a Colecovision pad...er... joystick. But the Switch does have a certain something. I dunno what, exactly. I just like it.

The price of it all, and lack of BC for Wii U peripherals, is what mainly makes me sad though. I have four Wii U Pro controllers crying their eyes out right now.

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Antony Adler
6/3/2017 12:58:04 pm

Great piece, as always. A couple of comments :

- Could not agree more that this is a handheld primarily. It's absolutely amazing as a handheld, it's distinctly average on a 4k oled TV with a PS4 pro also connected. I think their strategy will become clearer in 2018. This is primarily a 3ds replacement, rushed out a little sooner because of the wiiU disaster. I predict it will sell like hot cakes in the years to come as a result.

- Word of mouth / awareness. Took my switch to a kids birthday party on Saturday afternoon. LOADS of kids knew what it was, there's been a lot of advertising on kids TV, you'd be surprised how much awareness there is. Lots of people at my work have heard about it as well, I think Nintendo have done surprisingly well with the launch.

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Rich
6/3/2017 04:46:17 pm

I've had people at work asking me about it too.

People who've never joined in gaming conversation before.

Had 1 bloke asking me if it's suitable for his kids (but he was put off by the price).

There is some awareness there. I think advertising it on kids TV is the way to go.

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Fancy Pants
6/3/2017 12:59:27 pm

Yeah, my son was over the moon when I brought it home on Friday. All his mates knew all about it and were impressed as well. Pretty sure none of them even know the Wii U exists.

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Jareth Smith
6/3/2017 01:02:49 pm

Breath of the Wild is positively sensational and the best game I've played since Half-Life 2, so that's one hell of a way to launch. I also think the spectacular marketing campaign for Zelda will surely be enough to gain attention from commuters, along with the onslaught of perfect score reviews.

The Switch innovates, too, which I think is important for the industry. I like Sony and Microsoft, but their policy is simply to turn it up to 11 and let the graphics do the talking. The result is pretty games but a perpetual stream of CoD and GTA clones. That's fine for casual gamers (not that I like using the term, but they are the ones who head to the PS4 and Xbox One). You just know the PS5 will essentially be the PS4 but with slightly improved graphics – nothing else will change. At this point in the industry's history, the focus shouldn’t be on HD perfection, although it’s seemingly all many modern gamers care about. Gameplay is ignored and graphics are placed first, which is disconcerting (graphics complement the experience, they certainly aren't the be all and end all).

So, in this respect, Nintendo is behind Sony and Microsoft, but the Wii U’s range of exclusives was brilliant, and it’ll be the same for the Switch. People can mock Nintendo all they want, but the fact remains it creates some of the best games in the world and, now, arguably the best game of all time. Breath of the Wild is that good.

There are some fantastic indies on the way, but there has to be third party support this time for AAA titles. There certainly seems to be more of that this time, and the Switch is wonderfully accessible for gamers, so I’m hoping it gets the support it deserves. If Nintendo drops out of the console race I’ll switch (LOL! etc.) permanently to Steam as the other consoles are increasingly insipid.

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Paul
6/3/2017 01:03:18 pm

Pretty much blanket advertising for this on Cartoon Network (and I expect other kids’ channels). It]s that and the 3DS Pokemon game getting all the attention. I’ve even seen a separate Zelda advert.

No kids here, but I am rather hooked on The Amazing World of Gumball, so CN is on at times, so I may be seeing adverts that maybe you aren’t? Certainly the kids in Code Club seem energised by the idea of it.

I’ve seen one in CEX’s window (they want £350 for it with NO game), and it’s smaller than I expected, but it does look like a decent piece of hardware. I expect that if I was holding a demo unit in my hands that I’d want one.

Let’s see where this goes. As you say, by Christmas I expect we’ll know more about it. Also remember that you have 1.0 of everything: OS, games, so things like dropped frame rates, etc. may well be ironed out with some software updates.

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Antony Adler
6/3/2017 01:08:04 pm

Some good comments already. Yes also agree that Zelda (I've NEVER played one before, just never 'did it' for me, is truly superb, quite possibly the best game I've ever played.

Also v unfair to use it as a benchmark for switch's power, it's basically a port of a wiiU game. Not saying it's a powerhouse, but i'm hoping and praying that it's "good enough" to get some ports on AAA 3rd party titles. As Jareth said, graphics aren't everything, if it can vaguely keep up, and lots of people buy one (which I really can see happening), the titles will come and we'll have an awesome portable device for the coming years.

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Rivhard Hugue
6/3/2017 01:08:16 pm

I'm equal parts concerned and joyously content about the Switch so far.
As a man of a certain age, I find I just don't have the time to be able to have marathon sessions like I used to. I'll squeeze an hour in here and another there when the opportunity arises, as such my XBONE backlog is getting pretty hefty.
With the switch, I can squeeze that hour in, then undock and play a bit more in front of the telly, in bed, travelling, lunch breaks at work. I might actually be able to finish a game. Its fantastic.

However, having received my Switch on Friday and spent a fair few hours getting into Zelda, I've been talking warmly about it to other chums over the weekend who I know are also gamers, and not one of them was aware of its existence until I told them
Wheres the hype?

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Jareth Smith
6/3/2017 01:18:14 pm

I wouldn't really class them as gamers if they have no idea Breath of the Wild has launched/exists. There's been a lot of hype, it's just a lot of gamers are shut off from Nintendo entirely ("kids games" and other such specious reasoning). I know many who've never even played Zelda. So it's just stunning ignorance on their part and, unfortunately, it's their loss.

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Gordon Ramsay's furrowed brow
6/3/2017 01:46:19 pm

I was talking to "the lads" in the office about the console.
One already has it, one is thinking about a purchase, but another said, quote "I'm not interested unless I can view porn on it".
Clearly Nintendo hasn't covered all the bases.....

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DEAN
6/3/2017 02:14:13 pm

I'd agree wholeheartedly with all of that. I've read lots of stuff about the Switch but your piece really nails it.

The kickstand is a joke - terrible shame too, because it's a big part of its USP. And yeah, the Joycons don't click in-and-out of stuff as nicely as I'd imagined.
The Pro Controller is my favourite pad ever - it's the best fit for my hands yet!
All-in-all, it's a thoroughly charming little thing, the screen is excellent, sound is a bit weedy compared to an iPad but serviceable enough and it's very difficult to not fall in love with the wee shite.
Also, the NEON controllers are WAY WAY WAY more vivid in the plastic than any photo has managed to capture; they look the shit.

Both my kids love 1-2 SWITCH, even my wife has had a blast playing it and she usually stays well away from gaming outside of awful stuff on her iPhone - logo quizzes and such. It was great to see them all having so much fun - a bigger hit than Wii Sports in this ole house!
I think it won't have the lasting appeal but yeah, so far so good.

Zelda is tremendous but my word is it hard. I love the puzzles and the exploration, but the combat... might be enough to kill it for me.
Also, cooking stuff is not fun and all the stress from timed things actually pisses me off. But I want to solve all the puzzles and see more...

Played the demo of that snippy thing - not for me.

The kids have been playing Just Dance on it - nothing to say except the Joycons are smaller and lighter... very good then.

The highlights so far were seeing my wife and kids having a laugh riot playing 1-2 Switch and my son playing Zelda when we went to a restaurant the other night - that was cool!

Verdict - generally excellent hardware, Kickstand is shit, needs more games.

We need a Digi high score table for the quick draw - I'm Billy The Freaking Kid fast!

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King of Duckhenrys
6/3/2017 02:17:47 pm

Knowledge of the Switch is out in the wild, but it is still a bit muddled.

My Brother-in-law was over at the weekend and saw my Wii U controller under the telly and thought it was a Switch. I told him what it was and he was totally confused about what the Wii U actually is (is it a controller for the Wii?) and what it actually does. He thought maybe it was the same thing as the Switch.

Nintendo need to do better.

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Adam
6/3/2017 02:21:24 pm

I prefer Zelda with a pro controller and on a TV screen, I find it's more enjoyable and relaxing looking at everything. I think I'll use it more in handheld mode for Mario Kart etc.

This is where we differ MrBiffo, but this is why the console is great.

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Ed
6/3/2017 06:22:18 pm

Would totally recommend the pro controller as well. Makes the world of difference. I picked mine up for £55 at Grainger Games. Still pricey but not as steep as the £65 stated above.

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David W
6/3/2017 02:53:33 pm

I've seen several Switch posters at bus stops. Which makes sense, because you can play it on the bus.

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Roy (Stuart N Hardy fan)
6/3/2017 03:35:38 pm

Love the machine and Botw is every bit asx good as I knew it'd be but I've one gripe - I've already got a minor scratch on the tablet/screen bezel just by docking it.
If you haven't got one already then get a screen protector or if you're like me and can never put them on bubble free then maybe a very slim adhesive pad placed inside the dock might help.
I've always looked after my stuff and this little scratch has really pissed me right off.
I am so anal.

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Spiney O'Sullivan
6/3/2017 05:18:06 pm

While I didn't rush out to buy one on release, I got to try out Bomberman on the Switch this weekend, and I have to say that the on-the-go local multiplayer is brilliant. I've never warmed to online gaming, but the ability to bring couch-based multiplayer anywhere is amazing.

Portable multiplayer Mario Kart 8 could be a killer app for the Switch.

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Bananasthemonkey
6/3/2017 05:40:58 pm

Talking of handhelds. I've just got A Link to the Past on my 8 year old son's 3DS. Wowza. I can play it in the bath!

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Nick
6/3/2017 10:01:19 pm

And so you should, it's bloody brilliant.

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Fancy Pants
6/3/2017 06:45:23 pm

Every time someone mentions BOTW I think they are talking about Babe of the Week.

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colincidence link
7/3/2017 12:03:52 am

I found Furrowed Brow's friend.

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Roy (Stuart N Hardy fan)
7/3/2017 03:13:13 pm

You think of BOTW like I do when the hated enemy, Brighton and Hove Albion (I'm a Crystal Palace supporter) speak about their song - Good Old Sussex By The Sea - or GOSBTS for short.
I always think of Gob Shite when I see that acronym.
It's a football thang.

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Chrissy
6/3/2017 09:44:15 pm

I love this little machine. Exactly what I was looking for at this point in my life. I do think it willl do better than the Wii U, but will obviously not eclipse the sales of the Wii/DS. Also, my 10 year old nephew (who is a die hard Xbox One/PS4 kinda kind) is nagging his parents already for one. Where's he didn't do the same for Wii U.

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Scott C
6/3/2017 11:59:28 pm

After watching a hardware tear-down of the Switch, it is clear that this is indeed a dockable hand-held. Consider it a Nintendo branded Nvidia Shield.

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Barrybarrybarrybarry
7/3/2017 09:02:41 am

I had a sandwich yesterday. Chicken salad. Good colour to the lettuce and tomatoes, looked a good amount of mayonnaise. The bread looked like it might be a little bit soggy.

I didn't eat it, I had a creme egg instead.

4 stars.

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Flopper
7/3/2017 02:41:52 pm

The way Biffo feels about the Wii U is pretty much how I feel about the Switch. Literally nothing special about it at all and marketed purely for mass appeal for some cash this generation.

The new Zelda is awful, and is the first Zelda game I not just don’t like but find really boring. The game is made to have a feel-good factor about grinding, but when that loses its charm, the game is nothing more than a giant empty world that’s repetitive and tedious to get around. Too much focus on exploration and not enough on a sense of triumphant adventure. The game isn't crafted and well composed in the many areas that make a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The ‘fun-density’ is the lowest in any Zelda game to date and is shamed by something like Link to the Past which apparently only accidentally stumbled on a formula for gaming perfection. This new kind of open world game seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator who don’t deeply invest in games, but play with one eye on their smart device. It’s just mindless grinding and slow plodding emptiness that appeals to that kind of person who just wants mindless longevity. You’ll never go broke appealing to the lowest common denominator. Even more offensively, recently Nintendo admitted they took out touch capability from the Wii U version—and as many have rightly pointed out, it would have made their flagship Switch version look inferior, which would have been a disaster. So, Wii U owners got shafted again. Now we’ve got clumsy inventory menus etc. and even having to use the d-pad to enter text on the in-game keyboard. Crazy.

The new Zelda developers are morons who alas are all too ‘in touch’ with the numerically significant clutch of fellow morons out there who just want sugary banality. You can certainly tell Miyamoto didn’t have an original hand in this game. Recent interviews reveal how it was pitched to them as an idea by younger developers. This is Nintendo’s future; reduced quality games appealing to what’s popular. They’ll never go broke, but they won’t carry the same level of respect going forward in the next 30 years if recent time is an indicator of things to come.

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Flopper
7/3/2017 02:49:28 pm

Literally... the game is analogous to 20 minutes of comedy stretched over a 2 hour period...

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Scott C
7/3/2017 10:22:51 pm

Although I have yet to play the game, your "review" here chimes more closely with my own impressions from watching gameplay videos than the myriad 10/10 reviews.

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