Here I am, looking out over beautiful Spocco Square after another intense session of Nintendo Switch Sports. With its fantastic music alone, it can take me on a nostalgic journey back to the early days of the Wii Sports phenomenon, when even grandparents (literally) played tennis in the living room. It did so thanks to a simple and brilliant design that took advantage of motion controls in the most inviting way yet. In fact, I have to admit that motion controls were one of the main reasons I got into video game journalism even before the Wii was released.
However, the feeling was a little warmer back then. It’s not that I didn’t break a sweat today, I really did, it’s just that my first week on Nintendo Switch Sports was figuratively cooler, as if that nostalgia was trying to tell me otherwise. Is Switch Sports too similar or not very advanced compared to the first two parts? Will the online portion add the warmth and depth I’m missing?
Since our pre-release review time is set to “local game (Play with people in the same room)” and therefore only offline, I don’t really feel able to give a full judgment of the product. Yes, I’ve played all six sports both alone and with friends and family. However, some of the multiplayer forms are fully realized only through online games, while everything related to player progression is tied to online matches.
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So I can only talk about what these six sports are like. And while some of the things I’m about to say are slightly different from my first impressions of Nintendo a few weeks ago, I still recommend checking them out if you’re looking for commentary and an exclusive video for each sport.
Done? Good. Well, I will say that my perception has changed regarding two of the new events where the Soccer
volleyball, while it allows you to move the character sideways with the analog stick (I didn’t know that!), even in 2v2 matches it can get a bit monotonous at the end. The moves are varied, yes, with serve, reception, setting, completion and blocking, but when you think about it, it’s all about nailing the times, which tends to break the immersion a bit.
And that brings me to my main criticism of Nintendo Switch Sports so far: almost everything is primarily down to timing. Volleyball, badminton or tennis rely too much on moments to decide various aspects of your success, while I expected 1:1 motion controls to have a bigger impact on the game in 2022. I mean ok in badminton You can hit the boom left or right, but the angle of the racquet doesn’t matter much and dropshots are performed at the touch of a button. And then in tennis You’ll notice improved tracking on topspin and slice balls, but lobs are still overly complicated or unnatural while shot direction is still determined by timing and nothing else.
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I understand that they’re done automatically for accessibility reasons, but since these sports focus solely on hand gestures, I was expecting a little more detail, particularly from Wii Sports Resort Table Tennis, of the various advancements we’ve seen in VR lately seen , or from some recent implementations in other console games such as 1-2 Switch or the Zelda titles.
Oh, and by the way, the Wii Remote was much more comfortable to hold and manipulate due to its shape Chambara I encountered similar problems as with the second and third parts (when trying to quickly change the cutting angle), even though it’s the only pure 1:1 game and even though it comes with various new features.
And since I said that Soccer gains a lot for the dynamics of the games and for the precise and varied hand movements, with the you also get a control mode leg strap the one that debuted with Ring Fit Adventure (and will be included in the NSS box), but guess what? That’s right, the kick is measured by times no matter what you’re doing with your foot, and that we just came from trying out several precise gestures (ok, even slower ones) in the fitness game.
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For all of that cake Still the best. Maybe not the funniest, but the best so far on an implementation level. It’s accurate, it tracks lots of moves and turns, and it now comes with obstacle courses and a 16-player survival battle royale mode.
Don’t get me wrong either. The franchise’s incredible appeal is still there, and I know I’ll be playing a lot of Switch sports locally and possibly online. It looks more beautiful than ever, the new sports are ideas well executed and those looking for their distinctive experience for all audiences will no doubt find it. But I’ll tell you what’s reserved for the long term in a few days by mercilessly squeezing my CPU Difficulty level “Very Experienced” In tennis I realized that I don’t have much to do until the server launch on April 29th.
Too bad it doesn’t exist Solo progressionThat says it all about how good Nintendo has traditionally been at this topic. If I play online I’ll become a”per total“And I will work my way up from E to A in the Pro League, which in turn will unlock cosmetic accessories for my Sports Mate (Mii-based or not). Then I’ll rate how good certain fully realized sports are. For example, will it be easy to organize four-player matches on the same team? Can I play doubles for tennis online with a colleague? Will there be a delay? Stay tuned for that full report in the coming days.
[Actualización] I kept playing for a few more days and while the online portion is definitely a reason to keep playing and improving, some of the issues I encountered during my offline time are still there. Others have become even clearer.
The fact that many of the hits, as discussed above, are based on timing, coupled with the lack of depth in the possible motion-controlled actions you can perform, means that there is some “scripting” in these characters’ movements that is automatic almost all the time, faking some of the spaces and reactions from time to time. And when you’re playing against a real player, it’s even more irritating to see your avatar lying on the floor at badminton when it was an easy return or when you felt like you were in control at tennis. I also learned over time how much drag affects performance and accuracy, but that drift feeling was still there.
On the other hand, it is true that the online solo progression is well structured and executed, and the more brilliant your performance awards more points and aesthetic accessories, although you will miss more opportunities to play solo and offline, so a “race” style mode. or even working out arcade minigames to improve technique would have added a lot of value. As it stands, and as much as golf is on the way, there still seems to be a dearth of opportunities to play if you can’t get friends and family back home.
Finally, the online connection and stability during my sessions was pretty decent, even the matchmaking to join a football game with seven other random players, certainly a good move for Nintendo. While the various customization options you unlock are pretty cool, many of them haven’t been tailored for the Mii body type, which ruins the fun of their looks (and I’m not just talking about facial features, which are more understandable, but also accessories, you wear).
In general, Nintendo Switch Sports makes for good times full of fun and laughter in company, it’s a nice audiovisual update and it’s a nostalgic experience… but the latter isn’t always in the best sense. It’s reminiscent of the mechanics’ classics because this time Yoshikazu Yamashita and his team were a bit too shy about bringing depth, innovation, and content.