Adwin McCants, staff writer
The brand new Nintendo console, the decidedly safely named Nintendo Switch 2, was revealed by Nintendo in April along with a handful of new games and info about what the Switch 2 is capable of. Alongside the ecstatic fan reaction towards the games revealed, there has also been an equally negative reaction to the high prices of the console and its games. Exacerbating issues are the trade tariffs from Pres. Donald Trump, which were announced mere days after the Switch 2 reveal presentation. I’ll go over the major game announcements, what makes the Switch 2 an improvement over the original and the fiasco surrounding the price of the console and its games.
The Nintendo Switch 2 has 4K resolution, HDR and frame rates which can reach up to 120 FPS. The portable mode has a 1080p screen. Each joy-con connects to the base magnetically and they can be used as a mouse.
The biggest game announcement and the first trailer unveiled was “Mario Kart Worlds,” the long awaited next mainline “Mario Kart” game since “Mario Kart 8” on the Wii U. This new entry takes the characters in a new direction that looks closer to their original 2D designs. In particular, Mario has a chubbier face and Donkey Kong has the round eyes from his original arcade games. The big selling point for this game is the seamless open world where every race track exists together. During races players will have to drive towards the next race track once they finish racing on their current track. This adds more strategy because players who know the fastest way to the upcoming race track will be able to start their laps before other players, making for a chaotic game.
Another newly announced Switch 2 game was “Donkey Kong Bananza,” which looks to be a 3D platformer of the same quality as “Super Mario Odyssey” but with game mechanics centered around the character of Donkey Kong. What impressed me the most was the fully destructible environment where you can find new items and carve out new pathways. Similar to the moons in “Odyssey,” there’s a main collectible which is required for progression, in this case instead of moons it’s some kind of banana shaped mineral. These large banana rocks can be found in various places around the large open levels. There are brand new characters in this game too, but it’s unknown if all the old “Donkey Kong” characters will return in this new game.
However, the price for the new console and games — which were revealed after the livestream presentation had ended — has been a source of controversy. The console itself would cost $499 bundled with Mario Kart, and the games could be as expensive as $80. Now with the new tariffs, U.S. pre-orders have been delayed and the prices will definitely be even more expensive.
Regardless, the Nintendo Switch 2 is sure to have plenty of great games. However, it remains to be seen how many people will be able to experience them, and when.
the Nintendo Switch 2 is sure to have plenty of great games. However, it remains to be seen how many people will be able to experience them, and when.
Adwin mccants