Buy the Nintendo Switch?

Expectations: We all thought the switch would be a perfect mix of the 3DS and the Wii, after playing it is nice, but far from perfect. The Switch tablet is kind of chunky and bigger than an IPhone, but smaller than the Wii U gamepad. 

                                         

What is the Switch?: The Switch is a game system that can play its games connected to your TV like a regular gaming console, or as a tablet-style handheld with its own controls. The 6.2-inch portable screen can be propped up on its very own kickstand, with detachable controllers that each act like their own miniature Wii Remote motion controllers. (But they're way more sophisticated: read more about them below.)

Controller: Now this system is still very brilliantly designed with a lot you can do with the controllers. The controller can be on the go like a 3DS and you can even take the sides off because it has two "Joy-Con" side pieces that slide onto the edges of the Switch tablet, and make the controller even smaller. Each “Joy-Con” controller acts as a Wii remote and can be held sideways or up right. They're a bit more advanced than the Wii remotes and since you get two, you can easily hand one to a friend for two-player mini games. There's buttons and a stick on the front of each Joy-Con, but also a pair of hidden ones on the inside. These new controllers even have something called haptic feedback. Basically, Nintendo says you can shake a controller and feel like there's ice cubes moving around inside a glass.

Battery life: Nintendo estimates you will get between 2.5 and 6.5 hours of battery life at a go. Compared to the Wii U gamepad this is by far a greater battery life.

Gameplay: There are not that many games on the system just yet with how new it is, but there are a few launch day titles. One game I explained in another blog post, (Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review)  is Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is for sure a game you should get if you purchase the system. Splatoon 2 was another one which looks promising as it ran a little bit better than its predecessor. The main game you will probably see everyone playing is the party game 1-2 Switch. Nintendo tries to add in some sort of little mini game into each of their systems. This game has fun puzzles and competitive multiplayer games that have that weird party game feel we love from Nintendo. There are many titles still to come and a huge Mario title everyone is waiting for (Mario Odyssey). The Nintendo Switch is clearly intended to be a multiplayer experience and it ships with two controllers in the box.

Audience: Anyone with the love of video games is welcome to play this system. However, one thing I know is Nintendo tries to win over the young kids, and the adults that grew up on these old Mario and Legend of Zelda titles that they so frequently keep making. My brother who is 33 just went and bought one of his own and I know he might play it more than his two children. Nintendo is known for being bright and flashy and just extremely colorful which makes their games so attractive. 

Contents: It comes with the tablet, dock, two Joy-Pads, the gamepad dock, the straps, an AC adapter, and even the HDMI cable you need to hook it up to a TV set. You can get a different version with one red and one blue Joy-con (instead of the grey ones) for the same price. The gamepad comes with touch screen capabilities too. There's a cartridge slot and a micro SD card slot. It is not backward compatible with earlier Nintendo systems, which can always make fans of the old systems very upset. It's got Wi-Fi and three full-size USB ports in the dock. This system even supports surround sound, when plugged into the dock, the Switch can output 5.1 surround to your TV or home entertainment system. 

Price$$$: Yes, the price, the thing we as consumers are most worried about. The system is $499 and is sold in most retail stores. Additional controllers aren't cheap either. If you lose one Joy-Con, it will cost $50 for a new one. A pack of two will run for $80. The Charging Grip pad to pair the two Joy-Cons together in the shape of a regular game controller, and charge them will retail for $30.

Recommendation: I was scared to get a new Nintendo system because more often than not I buy it and it sits and collects dust. This system however, makes such a convincing argument on why you should get this new system. I would not necessarily tell you to dive into this system just yet, but when they get all their big titles on the system I want you all to hit the preorder button right away. I am patiently waiting for Super Mario Odyssey and have never seen a Mario game that can match what they are trying to do. If you are huge fans of Zelda then I would see no problem with you buying the Switch right now, but the system does not have many titles to offer you at the beginning of its product life for the price as of right now (and Nintendo do this on purpose).

When you are ready to make the move, here is the link for new sleek Nintendo Switch:

Buy Nintendo Switch

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Nathan vs. Video Games: Favorite Games Played in 2012

NathanVsVideogames posted previously on his favorite video games played in 2012. He named a lot of good titles, some of which I enjoyed, but there are some he did not mention that are some of my favorites. 2012 was a good year for video games.

Assassin’s Creed III

The Assassin’s Creed series already had such a good name and I had not played it until this game. I loved every minute of it. This game takes you to another world where you get to relive memories of your ancestors and fight against the Templars. This has one of the best storylines in a game I have ever played. There is so much you can do in this game like explore, have wars on ships, and buy weapons from arms dealers. There is so much customization with your character that you really get to feel like you are in the American Civil War where the game takes place. The fighting is one of the coolest aspects of the game, along with the amount of kill combos they give you. You get to help the world and stop the redcoats, but also “assassinate” at free will and escape from the law and look awesome while doing it, with all the parkour the game has to offer.

Halo 4

Halo will always go down as one of my most favorite titles to play. Halo 3 will always be the best of them, but that doesn’t mean Halo 4 was bad. This game brought everything from the previous games with stellar multiplayer gameplay. Halo provided us with a new story for our beloved hero, Master Chief, and we got to pick up where he left off floating throughout space. It was one of the stranger storylines in the franchise, but it did its job in making me love Master Chief that much more. We got to see old things, with a twist of new things spun off from Halo Reach. There were also some new game types that they created, which always keeps you staying up past midnight to own noobs.

Call of Duty Black Ops II

Another big game I spent hundreds of hours playing. This game was the reason I procrastinated a lot of homework assignments in high school and the reason I was always tired there too. Black Ops I was one of my favorite Call of Duty’s and this was such a worthy. It brought me all the great visuals that the first one had, with new kill streaks, maps, and guns. Let’s not forget when they brought back Nuketown, everyone’s favorite map. This game had it all and it had one of the best zombie experiences, where they added the first moving map with the bus.