22/06/2018

Nintendo Switch: Two months, second thoughts - The software side


Welcome back, dear fellow gamers, for the second part of my Switch rant. After covering my (numerous) hardware issues with the system, it's now time to delve into the software variable of the disaffection equation. To put it simply (and a tad pompously), Nintendo's newest offering doesn't fit gracefully into my collecting and gaming ecosystem. This might sound a bit vague; so let's go into details, dear fellow gamers. 


—Although the prospective Switch lineup had me all hyped up for a while, I'm starting to realize that the Switch's brand of gaming isn't bound to add anything unique and valuable to my gaming regimen. From what we've seen so far, the Switch will offer two types of titles: sleek, HD home console-ish games à la Xenoblade 2, and low-fi, budget games à la Lost Sphear. The former is not my cup of tea, like, at all. It's not secret that I'm a retrogamer at heart and that I mostly despise modern gaming and its obsession with bloated open worlds, plasticky HD and boring hyper-realism and sure, I love Xenoblade 2 to pieces; but that's despite its home-consoleness, not because of it. As for the latter, I already have it, like, by the truckload. My collection is full to the brim with all sorts of nichey, budgety, low-fi games, and I simply have no need for more at that point. Sure, The Lost Child looks like something I'd like to play; but how is it any different from my vast array of Vita first-person dungeon crawlers? Spoiler alert: it's no different at all, because this is actually a Vita port. Mind you, this is part of an even bigger problem: one year after the system's release, Switch gaming hasn't managed to carve its own niche and is still entirely derivative. See, I own five true-blue handhelds, and they all offer their own distinctive brand of gaming; the Switch, on the other hand, seems content to emulate other consoles and bring nothing original to the table. Just look at the current library: WiiU, 3DS and Vita ports, indies already released on other platforms, and 'HD' games that would have been perfectly at home on the PS3. Sure, I said I wanted a successor to the Vita and the 3DS; but I didn't mean a copycat that would churn out the exact same games, thank you very much.


—The average Switch game is too pricey for my taste. Sure, I kinda expected high prices, since the Switch is an hybrid console; but seeing those inflated price tags in shops really drove the point home and made me balk at the prospect of purchasing metric tons of Switch games. On top of that, I'm very much reaching my spending limits when it comes to games, mostly due to the way my collecting unfolded. I started collecting for the DS and the PSP and was spoiled rotten by cheap second-hand games; then came the 3DS and Vita with brand-new titles, making my collecting endeavours more pricey and tedious. Now, the Switch is coming with even pricier games, and let's face it: I'm not ready to swallow yet another increase in prices and tediousness. At this rate, I'd rather keep collecting for the 3DS and Vita at a slower, more relaxed pace because let's face it, those systems still have some gaming goodness to offer.


—As the proud owner of GBA, DS, PSP, 3DS and Vita systems, I have access to three generations of handhelds already even four, if you count the handful of Game Boy games I own. This seriously undermines what could have been one of my main motivations for building up a Switch collection, namely the prospect of playing the newest entries of my favourite series. With my precious collection containing series that span two to four generations of handhelds, I have very little need for more instalments. Sure, I'd like to play the Switch Pokemon games; but if I had to make do with the games I already own till the end of time, I honestly wouldn't mind at all. I would mind all the less as I love my gaming on the retro side and tend to replay games on the long run.

—Last but not least, I have to listen to the voice of reason for a change. My precious collection is already absolutely massive as it is; so massive, in fact, that there's virtually no guarantee that I can even manage to play all the games I own before I lose interest or kick the bucket. Common sense dictates that I should stop the bullsh*t and focus on the games I already own instead of purchasing even more games I'm not sure I'll ever play and for once, I'm actually in the mood to humour common sense. Mind you, that sudden burst of moderation and self-restraint is very much helped by the fact that my collecting drive is nearly extinct after five years of frantic collecting.


All in all, my software issues with Ninty's newest piece of kit can be summed up in two words: diminishing returns. The Switch simply cannot bring me as much joy, satisfaction and fulfillment as its predecessors, neither on the playing side nor on the collecting side. Now, does this mean that I'm planning to give up on the Switch entirely? Not quite. I will purchase Switch games in the next years allright; but I'll be much more careful when doing so. I'll stop taking chances on anything ressembling an RPG and invest solely in games I'm 100% sure I can enjoy; and I certainly won't put together a huge Switch collection. In fact, I'm not even approaching the Switch as a collector, but rather as a gamer who wants to play a good game once in a while and leave it at that. Heck, I may even step as far as to resell used Switch games to get funds for new ones. I had reservations about the Switch at first and saw it as yet another clunky and overly complicated Nintendo home console, then I was seriously hyped up about it and saw it as the saviour of handheld gaming; now, after getting my paws on it, I see it as a mere regular gaming system, which happens to have little to offer me. I'll thus keep enjoying my vast soon-to-be-retro collection, with a Switch game as a diversion every now and then. There you have it, dear fellow gamers: my own personal Switch epopee, a.k.a. To the Switch and Back. Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!

6 comments:

  1. Interesting to read you feedbacks ;)
    Let's see the bright side of this disappointment: you'll save money to spend on retro games ^^ or anything else you want !

    I must admit that I had these kind of feelings quite often. Nothing seems to be as good as retro gaming and all the souvenirs attached. Tomb raider is an excellent example for me. Wonderful memories in the early 2000's when I was playing on my computer, even though the grapshim was really poor ! I tried to play on new platforms (PS3...) and I was always soooo disappointed. My memories and expectations were too high ^^

    So I just stick with good old memories, and that's fine with me :)

    But I'm sure you'll find a few nice game to enjoy on your switch though ^^

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    1. Yep, the money saving angle is the right one here. And let's face it, I have more than enough games as it is. ^^

      Apart from nostalgia, retro gaming does possess some undeniable qualities that have been lost in recent games. Simply put, games of old revolved nearly exclusively around gameplay; and that's what made, and still makes them, so enticing. Tomb Raider is a perfect example: the first one was all about exploration with nary a cutscene, while the latest entries are giant cutscenes fests. And that's a trend that permeates gaming as a whole, affecting brand-new games as well as long-running series. (Heck, even Pokemon games have become loaded with cutscenes lately.)

      The point is, if you want to actually PLAY your games rather than watch them, then you'll be drawn towards retro gaming no matter what. As for us, we have the nostalgia factor on top of that, so obviously we are retro gamers at heart. ^^

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  2. Couldn't agree more !! What you say about Playing / watching a game is so true !

    I'm so saaad that I can't find anywhere the first tomb raider running in modern computers. But well, I'm not sure it would equal my excellent memories anyway ;)

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    1. It sucks that such a cult classic is so hard to find. We should definitely work harder when it comes to game preservation and perennity, lest most of gaming's heritage become lost forever as time passes.

      The original Tomb Raider is available on Android, granted; but I cannot imagine using touch controls for that game, especially when you're used to PC controls.

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    2. Absolutely. I'll just stay with my excellent souvenirs of the old times, playing TR with you by my side to encourage me ^^

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    3. Those were lovely times, indeed. ^^ Watching someone play is often just as good as playing yourself, especially if the involved game is something you'd never play yourself! :D That's why gameplay videos are so popular on Youtube, I guess.

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