Game Inbox: Does Nintendo Switch 2 Have Enough Good Games?

The Thursday letters page still has a mixed bag opinion in relation to the last Nintendo Directly, as a reader feels sorry for his head Xbox.

Games inbox is a collection of letters, comments and opinions from our readers. To join the discussions, email yourself gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Wrong games
I’m not surprised to see the mixed reaction Nintendo Direct, including from GCas I personally thought it was too weak. On paper there were plenty of games, but very few from Nintendo themselves and almost no surprises. Personally, I’d say Fire Emblem, XenobladeSplatoon, and Wii Sports were among Nintendo’s least interesting franchises, even if they are probably much more popular in Japan.

The problem, as stated, is that there is nothing else to go with them. Usually you’d get those games and something more mainstream, now you’re just getting them. Whether Nintendo thinks they’ve made a mistake or not is a question I doubt we’ll ever get an answer to, but they certainly don’t seem to be in any rush to change their approach.

But, and this is something that GC picked up on, it’s the poor staging of the Direct that surprised me. Opening with Rhythm Paradise Groove was a terrible idea and so was only showing five seconds of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time.

With the price increase looming, I think there’s a real question as to whether the Switch 2 has enough good games to justify the purchase, especially when you’re talking about Nintendo games, and despite all the Direct games, I don’t think any of them are most people’s idea of ​​a system seller.
Zeiss

Fair summary
A huge range of thoughts on the latest Nintendo Direct. I think if you only own a Switch 2, it would probably be a pretty exciting show, but if you thought a Direct this long would have a strong focus on first-party games, then it’s hard to see it as anything other than a mild disappointment.

Ports, remasters, more ports, Wii Sports… Splatoon Raiders looked like it should be fun, and I’m sure some people would be buzzing at the announcement of a new Xenoblade game (my backlog of that particular series already extends to the Wii).

The Zelda: Ocarina Of Time teaser was disappointingly short, but I suppose from Nintendo’s perspective, this is just the initial announcement. Overall, I thought it was packed with content, but not a huge amount that really interested me. In contrast, the PlayStation and Xbox shows had fewer games but did a better job of showing off their great players in my opinion.
Magnumstache

Mission impossible
I’m sure she’s being paid a ridiculous salary, but I still feel sorry for the Xbox boss. Talk about delivering a poisoned chalice. I don’t know how on earth it’s supposed to come back to Xbox considering not only is it practically dead as a hardware business, but the entire console business is in danger of disappearing – as she seems to understand.

We’ve all been saying Phil Spencer should have gone years ago, and the situation Xbox is in right now shows exactly why. All he was doing was digging a deeper hole and now someone else has to find a way out and it may be impossible. It’s a bleak time, considering how many companies Xbox owns.
Blue

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Direct your anger
I thought it was one of the worst and most embarrassing Nintendo Directs in a long time. There are a lot of people saying it was jam packed and very varied and had something for everyone. But if you think about the context, it’s the big summer, there’s going to be a massive price increase, there haven’t been really big first-party announcements in a very long time, and not much at all for the Switch 2; it was terrible.

Most of the announcements were gates or games for very young children. It’s an easy joke that there isn’t a new 3D Mario or a new Metroid yet, and a little funny that the new Zelda is a remake of an old game. For me personally, there was nothing exciting and it felt like half the games were already announced at PlayStation State of Play or Summer Game Fest.

It was especially noticeable that it started with a rhythm game and then proceeded to spend a disproportionate amount of time on it. And then it apparently didn’t get any better.

I was really looking forward to it. I actually left quite angry, which I know sounds very irrational.
John

Consumer suspicion
I don’t know who Microsoft is trying to cheat with this Gears Of War franchise: E-Day. They’ve been caught uploading a video with the PlayStation 5 version in it and then claiming they didn’t mean to. Whatever.

We’re all used to Xbox being economical with the truth, but this latest nonsense just makes them look incompetent. Especially a bit for people who buy an Xbox console to play Gears Of War. People haven’t cared about the franchise for 15 years and I don’t think that remaking the same game again, except this time they’re in the company, is going to push anyone to the edge.
Boz

Regular releases
I have to say, I personally felt that the Nintendo Direct was a bit of a disappointment. However, I think it’s not entirely clear if Nintendo is dropping the ball at this point.

On the one hand, while people complain about the lack of triple-A franchises that really showcase the Switch 2, Nintendo will still have releases by the end of 2026 Pokemon Pokopia, Yoshi And The Mysterious Book, Nintendo Switch Sport Resort, a new Fire Emblem game, a new Splatoon game, and a remake of a beloved Zelda game. A new franchise on average every two months isn’t a bad result.

Let’s face it though, what people really want is a new mainstream 3D Mario or Zelda game. The thing is, games take so long to make these days that we only get one major Mario and Zelda game every decade. Surely, though, a 3D Mario should be in development by this point, given that it’s been nearly nine years since then. Super Mario The Odyssey?

Normally, I’m not a fan of companies making an announcement years before the release date (I’m looking at you The Elder Scrolls 6). However, given recent scrutiny, perhaps some sort of announcement, even just a very brief teaser might have resulted in some goodwill.

I think the most directly disappointing part for me was the reveal of Zelda:Ocarina of Time. Despite being a teenager when it was released, I never played the original, but Breath of the Wild is my favorite game of all time and I’m very eager to play previous Zelda games. Although the detection was so poor. I was really hoping some game would show up, if only for a few seconds.

I think some of the problems Nintendo has right now are overblown. You only have to look at companies like Rockstar, Naughty Dog and CD Projekt Red to see how long the gaps between major releases are. The problem is that Nintendo no longer has as much room to rely on closing the gaps with re-releases and remasters as it did with the original Switch, and has to come up with ideas for new or existing franchises that aren’t their most established IP.

As a Switch 2 owner I’m happy so far, but I play most 3rd party games on the Switch 2 as I’m happy to make accommodations to play games in handheld mode. So I understand that some Switch 2 owners are understandably a little more negative.
matc7884

Not many super brothers.
I always try to keep my letters as concise as possible. There is no need to get confused and constantly analyze everything.

As I said before, there has never been a better time to be a gamer, but, sadly, this was a poor showing from Mr Nintendo. Loads of guff, bro!
Paul C.

Nintendo Fest
A little late to the party, but I thought it was a good Nintendo Direct, not great. I liked Star Fox getting a demo as I never played the original and the graphics look great, but it’s been a while since I’ve played an on-rail shooter so I’m not sure if I’ll keep up with it.

The rumors of a Happy the Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake were true, but like many, I would have loved to see an actual game of it, especially with its release this year.

The thing that impressed me the most was the number of impressive-looking ports of current-gen games. Kingdom Hearts 4 on release day, Lies Of P, Lords Of The Fallen 2 and Devil May Cry 5 (a PlayStation 4 game but very nice looking) all looked visually impressive, even if they’re not my go-to games.

These, and Resident Evil Requiem, 007 First Light and Lego Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight (when the latter two are released), suggest the Switch 2 is capable of delivering top-notch current-gen gaming.

I hope other developers take note because I was concerned about how few games from Summer Game Fest, PlayStation State of Play, and Xbox Showcase seemed to be coming to Switch 2. Maybe I’m misremembering, but Star Wars Zero Company stands out as one that didn’t have a Switch 2 release, which was surprising because it wasn’t as in-demand (because it doesn’t seem as in-demand as it is) and I’d imagine the audience is there for it on Switch 2.
J-Sco

GC: It’s a shame because mouse controls would likely suit it well, but that game has been in development for a long time – long before the Switch 2 was announced – and the team probably wasn’t big enough to work on that either.

Inbox-ka too
As a follow up to my letter – I mean gaming wise they are doing badly. Business is definitely booming for Nintendo.
Simon

I have to admit, the idea of ​​playing the remake of Resident Evil 4 on the go has me tempted to double up on the Switch 2.
Stick

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