 After many years of leaks and the patience of diehard fans growing ever thinner, Nintendo has finally broken the silence (again) on the Switch 2 and given us a quick announcement video. Seemingly forced to act by a 3D printed mock-up at tech industry show CES, Nintendo finally gave us a complete look at how the console will look and feel – though details are pretty sparse. Despite having almost nothing to go on, we all have takes and expectations so we'd thought we'd share them with you, as well as a few ideas of what they could to decide to throw in between now and release. If you have some of your own, fire them over on Discord.
Embrace the power of AI - Chris Brand Though we correctly predicted the name, I'm disappointed that Ninty didn't go with "Switcheroo" as the moniker for their upcoming console. Boring name aside, I'm pretty impressed with the reveal (and the accuracy of the many, many leaks). It ticks all the boxes so far. It's bigger, better, has a smart-looking black finish, backwards compatibility and absolutely none of that matters to me because there's a mystery button. A mystery button! One of the more talked about ideas is that this could be a chat button, which isn't terribly exciting. A far more interesting (and less likely) idea is that this will activate the Switch 2's virtual assistant, Mario AI. Once the button is pressed, your machine will be connected to the Switch Squared network, a hive mind of super-intelligent hybrid consoles designed with the ultimate goal of enslaving humanity. Maybe the mystery button will scan and upload a digital copy of your likeness to use as an avatar in the new Mario Kart, raising the question of whether we are simply computerised clones of our real selves, endlessly driving around the same tracks, with the same faces, performing the same manoeuvres over and over again, totally oblivious to the sprawling world just one level up? It could do anything. A mystery button grabs my attention and holds it firmly until the reveal. It's safe to assume we'll find out exactly what it does during the Nintendo Direct in April, but a part of me hopes they Nintendon't tell us a thing and it turns into one of the greatest ARGs ever conceived. Whatever the case, I'd be willing to pay around £350 to push The Button. Function over form - Liam Andrews Having watched the reveal trailer a couple of times I’m not convinced that Switch 2 is going to solve one of my main issues with the original Switch.
I was hoping for a more ergonomic design and although the new console looks very sleek, the flatness of it, which I understand is necessary to make it more portable, has me concerned that it will dig painfully into my hands like the original Switch did. Hopefully Hori will release an updated Split Pad Pro as these made handheld gaming much more enjoyable on the Switch 1. Other than that complaint, I’m very excited for Switch 2 and like what I’ve seen so far. The magnetic Joy Cons are a plus, as the rail system on the old Joy-Cons could get damaged too easily, so hopefully the new magnet system will keep the updated Cons sitting snugly against the console. I like the size of the console; I don’t think it’ll be too big and I’m all for the larger screen. I’m also excited about the rumoured Joy-Con mouse functionality that could possibly have been hinted at in the trailer. I’m not sure how many developers outside of Nintendo will really make use of it, but it could be a great way to more easily play strategy games on console. Price? I’d be surprised to see it go for more than £399.  After a busy 2024, we're back to bring you our traditional picks for our most anticipated games of the coming year. It might be easy to point to Grand Theft Auto VI and whatever launch software Nintendo decides to bundle up with the successor to the Switch, but there's an awful lot more expected to greet enthusiastic gamers this year as well. What's your pick? Perhaps you haven't made up your mind yet? Shout them out on Discord, and, in the meantime, allow us to get the ball rolling with a few suggestions…
Atomfall and Fable | Chris BranD  It's shaping up to be another stellar year for gaming, as long as the big-hitters don't get pushed back to 2026, as we all know GTA VI surely will. With the inevitability of delays, it's unwise to put all of your eggs in one basket, which is why I'll be dual-basketing this year. That's right, I'll be skipping merrily through 2025 with a basket in each hand, both filled to the brim with giant, golden, eggs. Looking like it sits somewhere between Fallout and S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Atomfall is an RPG set in a fictional version of Great Britain many years ago. The Glorious North has been recreated faithfully, with beautiful rolling hills, picturesque villages and a vague sense of uneasiness. You'll be bartering with creepy locals, fighting off gangs of outlaws, avoiding overzealous security forces and running from hideous mutants, whilst trying to solve the mystery of why you're here and how you can escape this brutal land. For my fellow Northerners, imagine Saturday: The Game. Decidedly unlike Fallout and S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Fable is an RPG set in a fictional version of Great Britain many more years ago and I've had to cut this bit in order to avoid a horrible tangent and actually say something of substance, but you see where I was going. It appears I have a preference for games set in my home country. It just feels more meaningful to rob and kill someone who could be a neighbour and I find myself making excuses as I try to ease my guilty conscience. Maybe he was the aggressor and I was merely defending myself? Maybe setting him on fire was a small mercy as there's a chill in the wind that feels like a million tiny cuts? The choices I make feel a lot more personal when I have a connection to the world and we Brits have a fairly unique sense of humour which manifests in even the darkest of situations. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond | LiaM Andrews I am very much looking forward to the release of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond later this year. I remember being very excited when the game was originally announced way back in 2017 with a simple logo teaser, and it’s been a long wait to get to this point.
However, one of the main reasons I’m looking forward to the game is because I think we’ll see Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption re-released for the Switch ahead of Beyond’s release. I never played Echoes and didn’t finish Corruption, and although I still have access to a Wii and could play them that way, I would like to see them get the same remaster treatment the original Metroid Prime game got in 2023, which looked fantastic and played even better with modern control options. It would make sense for Nintendo to give everyone the chance to catch up on the series ahead of the highly anticipated sequel. The Switch release of Pikmin 1 and Pikmin 2 just before Pikmin 4 came out gives me hope, but you just never know with Nintendo. Either way, Beyond looks very promising from the snippets we’ve been shown so far, and even if we don’t get the older games as well, it’ll still be great to see the series back in the spotlight once again. |
Read MoreCategories
All
Archives
January 2025
|
RSS Feed