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Nintendo Switch: Year 1

*raise the volume and reload the page*

                                           The snap noise is so satisfying to hear

Hello everyone, how are you? It's been one whole year since the launch of Breath of the Wild and Nintendo's next genration console, the Nintendo Switch. It's been quite a year for it so thought I'd write my thoughts on it.

When Iwata announced that Nintendo was working on its next home console, known as the NX at the time, many people thought what it would really be like. So did I actually and wrote my own thoughts on it before it was officially announced. Then we knew more about it the following year and we finally had a better idea of what the Nintendo Switch would be all about. I think people were just not on board with the Nintendo Switch just yet because the Wii U left a sour taste in their mouths. I loved the Wii U but I can understand where they are coming from. This was a bold direction Nintendo was taking with the promise of a home console you can take with you and play however and whenever you want. I think people were sceptical that Nintendo could pull off something like that.

Fast-forward to March 3rd and that pretty much changed everything.

                                  It works so seamlessly going from tv to handheld

March 3rd came and I went to pick up my Nintendo Switch and my copy of Breath of the Wild that I had on pre-order. I was really excited. I always get so excited like a kid when I get a new Nintendo system and game and this was no exception. Just holding the thing in my hands while messing around with the settings and whatnot was pretty exciting.

I eventually got to play Breath of the Wild and I was so excited to see the game we've been waiting for such a long time. I just love how it just drops you in the game and you basically have to figure out the path you wish to take. There is no restrictions in it, I mean yes there is a story but you can choose to pursue that or just do whatever you want.

One of the things I loved the most about Breath of the Wild is how rewarding the exploration is. You could be travelling to an area marked on your map or going through the story but suddenly you see something that catches your eye. You go and check that out and you might discover a new area. It feels like in Fallout 3 when you would be going through the story but you suddenly see something interesting that you want to check it out. It feels like that here too and that's one of the things I always wanted in a newer Zelda game.

I definitely feel that BotW handles the open world map better than most open world games out there. And I have to say that the map is really big. This is a game you'll be playing for a very long time.

   Playing this for the very first time was incredible. Can't believe it's been a whole year since.

The game definitely feels just like the first Legend of Zelda where you can go anywhere you want. I think that's what they were going for with it. It's definitely an incredible experience. There are things that I would of loved improved on like better dungeons and maybe some more traditional Zelda elements in it, but it's a great game. Definitely a great first game to own on the Switch since I can imagine that was everyone's first Switch game. 

After that the Switch received a steady stream of games like every month or so we had a big release. Not on the same level of BotW, but they were good games. Like the next big game we got was Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It was an enhanced port off of the original Wii U version. I mean yeah, it's a port but Mario Kart is always essential to have. We also got games like ARMS, which I don't think was worth buying at launch, but now it definitely is that it has more content thanks to free updates it has been getting. It's a really fun fighting game but with any fighting game, your mileage may vary with it.

We also got the next big game with Splatoon 2. I loved this one because it improved everything from the original one and it added new things to it too. Like the Salmon Run Mode which is what I wanted the original game to get. Basically a mode where you and a group of 3 players just team up to fight waves of enemies. I don't play it very often as other people but I still play it whenever I can like in a Splatfest. Fire Emblem Warriors is a fun game too, if you enjoyed Hyrule Warriors then you'll love it too. It has a ton to do but I personally think it was overshadowed by Super Mario Odyssey. 

So let's all jump up super high (Jump up super high) High up in the sky (High up in the sky)

Odyssey was definitely the next big release on the same level as Zelda and you can bet I was excited. I've been waiting for it ever since I saw the few bits of gameplay from the January event and the E3 trailer made me so excited. One of the things that really got me excited was not only how fun the game looked, but the theme song for the game. When I think of theme songs in a Mario game, the main theme of the game is what it's trying to tell you what the game will basically be about. Or rather, the theme of the game. Jump Up, Super Star! is the very first vocal song in a Mario game and it is just beautiful. And it's sung by Pauline herself. That is really cool. The song is telling you that you're going on this grand adventure. The song is just so catchy that sometimes I find myself singing it.

Odyssey itself is a really fun game. The worlds are really big and colorful and there's tons of Power Moons to collect. Like a lot. Maybe there's too many. But one thing I loved about it is Cappy, Mario's new partner which is Mario's cap this time around. Cappy is so versatile like you can toss him on certain enemies and you are suddenly in control of them which you'll need to use for many of the game's various challenges. That and you can combine Cappy with Mario's already versatile jumping abilities.

I'm hoping that they will go all out crazy with the idea of Cappy in the eventual Super Mario Odyssey 2. I feel like like it has so much potential and they've barely scratched the surface with Mario's new abilites. It could be like how we got Galaxy 2, which was just basically a ton of ideas they had leftover from the first Galaxy game.

The next big game for the Switch was Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I don't want to talk about it since I haven't finished it yet and with it being such a story heavy game, I want to avoid spoiling it. I will say this that the game has been really good so far. It's really fun and has a lot of twists like I would expect from a game like this.

                                                   Couldn't have said it better myself

Final thoughts: The Switch, while great, still needs some improvements in my opinion. As I've said, the system needs some improvements. In the beginning it had a Joy-Con problem but Nintendo fixed that. Mine had a problem with the fan where it would make this grinding noise and would get hot. It looks like it's an uncommon problem. It needs intergrated voice chat into the system, not whatever Nintendo is using for it. It also needs a way to back up and copy our game data, There is no way to do this and I have already detailed the painful and inconvenient process you have to go through in order to transfer that. There are a few more things it needs but those are the top issues it needs to address.

But it is a great system and what it does it pulls off splendidly. I'm amazed something like this came from Nintendo, but it definitely looks and feels like something Nintendo could only deliver. It has that Nintendo quirk/air about it if you know what I mean. It definitely is based around Nintendo's many many years of making hardware and video games as well as providing a fun system to play all their games. This is basically a culmination all of their ideas in what could be their "Ultimate" console. It has the convenience of allowing you to play however you want so seamlessly and easy. You can just plug the dock to a tv and you can play on tv or play anywhere too.

Nintendo definitely stepped it up when it came to the Switch. They had a steady flow of games releasing in just the first year alone as well as third-parties releasing games on it as well. The marketing was also improved as well. They marketed the hell out of it and I can say that it worked. The features it contains are pretty neat. Like a Joy-Con controller for each player. The HD Rumble might be one of the most underrated features the Switch has. It's not a game changer, but it adds another layer of immersion to games.

Nintendo is always at its best when they have their backs against a wall. Their best comes out from that. When the Gamecube wasn't selling, we got the Wii. The GBA, while it was still selling quite well, we got the DS. The Wii U wasn't selling and we got the Switch. The Switch is a testiment of that. It's definitely the best comeback in modern gaming in my opinion. But at the end of the day, it's all about the games and the games speak for themselves. It's a great console that has great games and at the end of the day, as long as you are enjoying yourself and having fun, then that's all that matters.

                     There's plenty to play from a lot of genre of games on the Switch

I have never bought so many games for a newly released system. In just one year I got 9 games for it out of the many great games on it already. I personally think there is something for everyone on the system. It has plenty of games to pick from and you can pick how and where to play. This year might be insane as well when it comes to new games. I am very much looking forward to this year as well as the future of the Switch. The launch of Kirby Star Allies is definitely the start of Year 2. Definitely excited to try it out. I can say for certain that it has such a bright future ahead of it and can't wait to see what it brings.

And those are my thoughts on the Nintendo Switch, 1 year later.

What are your thoughts on the Nintendo Switch? Thanks for reading and happy 1 year anniversary Breath of the Wild and Nintendo Switch!