Yee Family: Why We Pre-Ordered a Nintendo Switch

Back in October 2016 I went into my local game store and put down my reservation money on a Nintendo switch, at the time it was just a placeholder move to see what came out; but now that the full release has been announced I’m fully on board for a the first reason is the promise of things to come.

My relationship with Nintendo is a long one and the most basic part of that relationship is the whole console vs handheld divide. Personally I dislike playing on handhelds outside of travel situations but unfortunately many neat games keep coming out on the 3DS instead of the Wii U. With the Switch the promise is there that the divide will go away and that all Nintendo games will be available in one place. Add to the fact that you can take it with you when you are traveling or don’t have access to the television just adds to the versatility of the system.

Of course the Switch isn’t all about promise, the biggest launch release is going to be Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Years of refinement of the Zelda formula looks to have meshed with some survival game elements to create a new kind of Zelda game. Being able to launch with a grand adventure sounds like a great way to introduce the console with a major franchise yet with a new enough twist to bring in new players like my family. The Switch's ability to take the console on the go while still playing the same full game just provides even more time to defeat the forces of Gannon.

As a Splatoon sniper the biggest game of the Switch release for my daughter is Splatoon 2. With its colourful presentation, territory control based gameplay, and the motion assisted aiming it was a surprise hit with my daughter. I had hoped she’d like it as she’s been watching me play first person shooters all her life, but actually having her take an honest love and talent for the game was wonderful moment.

I was so proud when she started beating me at the game! Now she’s actively telling me about the second game and the improvements we’ve seen look to be smart evolution of the classic Splatoon gameplay. Also thanks to Nintendo’s strict online controls I actually don’t have any reservations on allowing her to play online where she learns to win and lose in a safe and controlled competitive environment.

Nintendo is famous for its child safety and it looks like the Switch is going to give parents even more reasons to like it. Not online is the online service going to be app based, but there’s going to be an entire suite of parental controls available to monitor our children's play habits and limit their play time. From timers and alerts to even being able to remotely turning off the Switch from your phone the controls look to be robust and well designed. The best part is that not only did they present this in a very amusing manner, they even pointed out the biggest concept of being a gamer parent, playing with your child and seeing what they like.

Looking forward into the more distant future there are games that I’m looking forward to for when I can steal the console from the kids. Fire Emblem is one of those handheld focused series I’ve been wanting to play more of for years and not only are we getting a main game in the future we are getting a “Warriors” game from the fun people over at Koei Tecmo. The Dynasty Warrior games have always been fun games for my son to watch as I play, but with the more brightly coloured Fire Emblem palette I have a feeling he’ll be even more excited. There are also several other Japanese style RPGs coming down the road including Disgaea 5 (a series I love), Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (we enjoyed Xenoblade Chronicles X on the Wii U), Project Octopath Traveler, and a Shin Megami Tensei.

All in all I think there are plenty of games to look forward to after some great titles at launch.