Switch 2 launch

Nintendo Co., Ltd. (HQ: Kyoto, Minami-ku, Japan; Representative Director and President: Shuntaro Furukawa, “Nintendo” hereafter) announced that its new game system, Nintendo Switch 2, sold over 3.5 million units worldwide in the four days following its release on June 5, 2025^*. This is the highest global sales level for any Nintendo hardware within the first four days.

That's a lot of shifted hardware in just 4 days...

I've still been mulling over buying a Switch 2. I have the original Switch OLED, but the new Switch has both negatives and positives.

• Pro: It's HUGE compared to the original Switch, like nearly x1.5 times the damn size. It's massive.
• Con: It's HUGE compared to the original Switch, like nearly x1.5 times the damn size. It's massive.
• Pro: It's backwards compatible with most Switch 1 Titles, and some titles offer a £10 upgrade to bring higher FPS and resolution support.
• Con: It's an LCD screen. And you just KNOW that Nintendo will, in about a year to 18 months, introduce an OLED version. Not a huge deal if you mainly play it docked, but for handheld mode it's a dumb backwards move.

I tend to buy the current Nintendo console in each generation, because I love the main Nintendo franchises:

• Mario Kart
• Mario (platformer)
• Legend of Zelda
• Metroid (my favourite)

However, while the Mario-related games are as solid/dependable/predictable as ever, my more favoured franchises took a bit of a hit in my estimation with their Switch releases.

Zelda

Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Both fantastic games, no doubt, but I didn't really like the transition from a top-down or 3D dungeon crawler to a survival-esque open world adventure.

Not so much the open world aspect, I loved that as I do most open world RPGs, but the survival aspects didn't sit well with me. Having to constantly find new weapons after you break yet another sword? Eurgh. Give me a break (pun intended). Tears of the Kingdom, despite buying it, is still in its cellophane wrap. I'll get around to it some day, I promise...

Metroid

Metroid Dread

I had waited for YEARS for a new 2D side-scrolling Metroid game. The previous entry in the series, Metroid Fusion came out in 2002* for crying out loud, so the series, segue into 3D with the Prime series aside, was long loooong due a new entry.
*I'm discounting Other M, as it was a retelling of an earlier game.

So along comes Metroid Dread. And I really didn't like it. The EMMI mechanic where you have to constantly run away from this thing you can't kill? Hits me right in the anxiety-centre of my brain, and I hate it. Previous 2D Metroid entries, like Super & Fusion sure, there'd be enemies milling about, but a quick slew of blasts from a weapon and they're dealt with, allowing me to wander around, explore, try new suit and ability upgrades with previously inaccessible area gates. Y'know, the kind of thing that makes a Metroid game a Metroid game?

Not so with the EMMI's. Panic sets in and I just want to shut it down and never go near it again.

Final thoughts

So yep, two of my favourite franchises, not ruined per-se. That's a bit strong. But you get what I mean? Their lustre certainly wore off due to creative design decisions that didn't gel well with me, an old-school Nintendo player.

So it's that that has me prevaricating on pulling the trigger on a Switch 2 purchase. That and the LCD vs OLED situation. So I might potentially wait, see what the next Zelda & 2D Metroid offerings bring, by which time there will hopefully be an OLED Switch 2 available.

I know Metroid Prime 4 is coming, so I might bite the bullet when it arrives, but we'll see! 😉