Nintendo has always been the king in portable gaming. I remember playing on a Game Boy Advance back when I was in elementary school. My friends and I would gather around during breaks or after school to either trade games or play games together like Pokémon or Super Mario World. Now, loading Mario Kart 8 on the Switch to play with friends here on campus, Nintendo is bringing back the social aspect in multiplayer with couch co-op games with its best mobile console yet.
The Switch has quickly become Nintendo’s flagship device selling more devices in one year than the Wii U did in its lifetime. With its easy to carry design and the option to play the game on your TV, pause it and pick it up to play on the go, the Switch is the perfect device for students who enjoy playing video games. Especially if you are a fan of Mario and the Zelda series.
However, it’s not without its faults. A year and a half later, the Switch is finally reaching a point where it can truly be called a mobile console. With third party developers finally getting on board with the system games such as Dark Souls, Skyrim, Warframe, Animal Crossing and Fortnite they have been or will be released soon. Those, alongside a large library of small indie games, means there aren’t a shortage of games to choose from.
Though the main draw of the Switch is the fact that you can plop it down almost anywhere and take out both controllers to play with a friend, at first, it didn’t have very many games that supported it. The biggest one was Mario Kart 8, a game anyone could pick up and have fun or curse your friend for hitting you with the nth red shell in a row. However, Nintendo themselves are changing that, releasing games like Kirby All stars, Mario Party and the highly anticipated Super Smash Bros Ultimate to name a few. If you’re a fan of retro or third-party games, you have Nintendo’s library with their online service, Sonic Mania Plus, Overcooked 2 and Rocket League with new games being announced every month.
The Switch is a fantastic device for gaming giving a wide variety of options to have fun. It’s Nintendo’s way of going back to the roots of gaming, playing together with a group of friends. Now, it’s just easier to do so even if it’s on the go.
