I was incredibly excited for today’s Nintendo Direct focused on the Nintendo Switch 2.
The Switch 2 will be out on June 5 for $449.99. That’s not too far away, and the price is reasonable. There’s also a $499.99 bundle that includes the new Mario Kart game. We’ll get back to that soon.
While information like that is important, I was mainly interested in seeing the games. I love my Switch and I’ve had so much fun with it, so I couldn’t wait to see what games would be revealed for its successor.
Exclusives often determine when I buy a new console, and some potential titles could definitely influence me. For example, I made sure to get my Switch in time for Super Mario Odyssey.
Well, Nintendo Switch 2 presentation and its aftermath took me on quite an emotional rollercoaster, so let’s take a look.
They started off with the one Switch 2 game that had already been shown, the new Mario Kart game, now officially revealed as Mario Kart World. It’s an open world game with a Free Roam mode where you can drive around off-road and explore, which is… not my first choice for a Mario Kart game, but not a deal-breaker.
Actually, it looks a lot of fun, so I had it on my list of Switch 2 games to get.
Later on, I visited the website for Mario Kart World and learned that it will cost $80.
I’m baffled. I don’t even know what to think. I haven’t even adjusted yet to AAA games costing $70 at launch, let alone $80. There have also been some reports that the $80 price is for digital while physical copies will cost $90, but I’m hoping that’s a misunderstanding.
Now, the Switch 2 bundle that includes both the console and a digital copy of Mario Kart World costs $499.99, essentially letting you buy Mario Kart for $50 instead. At least that takes some of the sting away, but I sure don’t want to see this pricing become standard.
Moving on, they announced game chat, camera, streaming, and game sharing features that might be great for people who play lots of multiplayer games. I’m not one of those people, so that whole section didn’t mean much to me.
They showed off some new features of the Switch 2 itself, like its larger screen size and Joy-Con mouse feature, and then they revealed Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, basically one of those tech demo games that demonstrates all the console’s features. I was on board with that until they revealed it’s a paid digital game. Considering what it is, I’d assume it would just be included.
Onto some more technical details, they announced that it will only be compatible with MicroSD Express cards, rather than regular SD cards. From there they moved onto the three types of games the system will play – Switch 2 games, compatible Switch games, and Switch 2 versions of Switch games.
That second category caused some concern when they said it. Would only certain Switch games be compatible after all? Fortunately, the website has cleared that up. According to the compatibility status page, it looks like they’re testing each game, and while most are compatible, they’ve found issues with some that they’re working to fix. Nintendo Labo is the only one listed as being outright incompatible, because of the hardware changes.
So let’s talk about the third category instead. Some Switch games will be re-released with enhancements and new content for the Switch 2, with a paid upgrade available for players who have the original. The most notable one to me was Kirby and the Forgotten Land (which I still want to play someday), because it’s getting new story content, so it sounds almost like DLC rather than just paid upgrade.
Some games will also have free updates for improvements on the Switch 2.
All right, let’s get back to the games. They announced a strange multiplayer sports game called Drag x Drive to make use of the mouse feature, and then it was time for some third-party news. Elden Ring and Hades II are among the games coming to the Switch 2 that caught my attention, although I doubt I’ll re-buy Elden Ring I put so much time into my PS4 copy.
Daemon x Machina 2 also looks pretty cool.
Now, they eventually got around to showing Hitman, at which point I asked a friend whatever happened to IO Interactive’s James Bond game… but I spoke just a little too soon, because they followed up with a teaser for Project 007 (although it barely showed anything).
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster was announced as a launch title after that, and I have to admit, I’m slightly tempted to give Bravely Default another chance.
Then came a big surprise – Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut as another launch title, adding new cutscenes, a multiplayer game, and an English dub to Yakuza 0. I thought there was a good chance Yakuza 0 would come to either Switch or Switch 2, but I wasn’t expecting new content.
A new Hyrule Warriors game was announced, and then they moved on to the announcement of GameCube games for Nintendo Switch Online. I’d be much happier if these were games we could buy instead of only being available through the subscription, but it’s still nice to see.
As another surprise, Deltarune is coming to the Switch 2 as a launch title with Chapters 1-4 available, which means this doubles as a release date announcement for Chapters 3 and 4!
The stream broke partway through the showcase of third party games, but fortunately they eventually got it working again.
Possibly the biggest moment of the third party section was during the sizzle real, when Hollow Knight: Silksong was briefly shown with a 2025 release window. It exists!
Now we get to the truly painful part. You see, the next game shown looked like my sort of game from the start. Being revealed as a surprise FromSoftware title exclusive to the Switch 2 only made me more excited. Seeing a Bloodborne-esque aesthetic had me marking down The Duskbloods as a reason to buy a Switch 2…
…and then after the presentation, I learned from the website that it’s a PvPvE multiplayer-focused title, and my excitement crumbled into dust.
Why…? If it was a single-player game, I’d be so excited for it right now. First Nightreign and now this. I was so excited…
Anyway, they finished the presentation with two more first-party titles, a new Kirby Air Ride game called Kirby Air Riders, and a new Donkey Kong game, 3D platformer Donkey Kong Bananza. I’ve never really gotten into the Donkey Kong games, but this one has my attention. It’ll be out on July 17.
Its website lists it for $70, so I really hope Mario Kart World’s pricing is a weird exception rather than the new standard.
All in all, the Switch 2 presentation left me with mixed feelings. The game I’m most excited for is Donkey Kong Bananza, and even that is mainly just because I like 3D platformers. Duskbloods went from being a reason to buy to personal disappointment, and there just aren’t enough games announced right now to convince me to get it at launch. Add in the game price worries and the announcement that some physical games will just be a key to download them (what’s the point of making it a game card then??), and I really don’t know how to feel.
But what about you? How did you feel about the Nintendo Switch 2 presentation?
