DAR Games: 4 Nintendo Switch Games You Need
By @Peagle05
I don't think I've given Nintendo enough shine this year, so this week I wanted to focus on Nintendo's online multiplayer shooter, Splatoon 2. This isn't a review so much as it is a explanation of the game for those on the fence about buying it or those who just don't know about it. I'll also be dropping mini reviews at the end for some of the other Switch games I've found to be worth a run.
*Splatoon 2
Splatoon 2 is a Switch exclusive multiplayer shooter and (obviously) the sequel to the Wii U's excellent Splatoon. Now the Wii U didn't do great in terms of sales and damn sure not as good as the Switch is currently so plenty of people missed out the first time around. This is a game that doesn't focus on individual efforts like some of the more mainstream offerings in the multiplayer world. We've all played games where one player can carry your whole team to victory. If you're on the winning side, it feels like you have nothing to do with the outcome and if you're the losing team it sucks to have a great team effort ruined by John Wick on sticks. Personally? I can give you an occasional beastly game in Team Deathmatch or any match type on most multiplayer shooters but my skill set is best applied to objective based gameplay.
Splatoon 2 is a Switch exclusive multiplayer shooter and (obviously) the sequel to the Wii U's excellent Splatoon. Now the Wii U didn't do great in terms of sales and damn sure not as good as the Switch is currently so plenty of people missed out the first time around. This is a game that doesn't focus on individual efforts like some of the more mainstream offerings in the multiplayer world. We've all played games where one player can carry your whole team to victory. If you're on the winning side, it feels like you have nothing to do with the outcome and if you're the losing team it sucks to have a great team effort ruined by John Wick on sticks. Personally? I can give you an occasional beastly game in Team Deathmatch or any match type on most multiplayer shooters but my skill set is best applied to objective based gameplay.
This is where Splatoon 2 shines. Killing your enemies isn't really important to anything other than area control. And that's the true objective in about all the match types. The main one being Turf War. I regularly sit at the top of my team's leaderboard in losses because as much as I can get around and ink territory, my efforts are wasted if the team isn't working well together. Now of course, sometimes you just find yourself in a situation where teammates are trash, but for the most part, if you're sitting at 1000 points for the match and the rest of your team is 6-700, y'all just didn't play well together and control the right areas.
This is a game that demands knowledge of the maps and the hot zones for players. There are certain areas on each map that are must have control points where you can blast the most ink and have a good shot at winning. Nintendo did a masterful job of level design and balancing the game to where every match is winnable at any point. On numerous occasions, I've found my team in a losing situation with 20-30 seconds left and some strategic movement and aggression on our part led to us winning the match at the very end.
It's gratifying to know that literally every second counts and it makes for a much more engrossing experience.
I would say if you have a Switch and you don't know if you should buy this game, do it. If you don't have a Switch, get one and get this game. You'll find yourself addicted fairly quickly. There are more than enough guns and secondary weapons that support all types of play styles. It's impossible for a player to not find something that fits them. Nintendo knocked this one out of the park and hopefully we see this game take over the E-Sports community. This is worth your look. Trust me.
*ARMS
A game that hasn't gotten nearly the focus it deserves though, is Nintendo's fighting game, ARMS. This is a fairly unconventional fighter in that your punches are thrown and travel across the arena to hit your opponent so timing and strategy is key. The learning curve on the game is a bit steep but once the mechanics are grasped it's truly a great game. The issue is Nintendo's release timing. ARMS dropped in March, with Splatoon 2 coming 3 months later. So just when people were really getting a hold of the game and how it worked, Nintendo releases the multiplayer game that everyone was waiting for and ARMS got dropped like a bad habit. It's sad because Nintendo really created a solid fighter here, so here's hoping that people eventually come back to it.
A game that hasn't gotten nearly the focus it deserves though, is Nintendo's fighting game, ARMS. This is a fairly unconventional fighter in that your punches are thrown and travel across the arena to hit your opponent so timing and strategy is key. The learning curve on the game is a bit steep but once the mechanics are grasped it's truly a great game. The issue is Nintendo's release timing. ARMS dropped in March, with Splatoon 2 coming 3 months later. So just when people were really getting a hold of the game and how it worked, Nintendo releases the multiplayer game that everyone was waiting for and ARMS got dropped like a bad habit. It's sad because Nintendo really created a solid fighter here, so here's hoping that people eventually come back to it.
*NBA Playgrounds
For those looking to get their NBA fix before 2k drops, NBA Playgrounds is a solid arcade basketball game in the vein of NBA Jam with a slight (SLIGHT!) NBA Street influence. The main tournament mode provides a decent single player experience and the card collection style unlock process isn't tied to micro transactions which is always good to see. Saber Interactive has done some work patching the game up since release that has improved the gameplay dramatically and I've seen it on sale quite a few times in the last month so now is as good a time as ever to jump in.
For those looking to get their NBA fix before 2k drops, NBA Playgrounds is a solid arcade basketball game in the vein of NBA Jam with a slight (SLIGHT!) NBA Street influence. The main tournament mode provides a decent single player experience and the card collection style unlock process isn't tied to micro transactions which is always good to see. Saber Interactive has done some work patching the game up since release that has improved the gameplay dramatically and I've seen it on sale quite a few times in the last month so now is as good a time as ever to jump in.
*Sonic Mania
The last game I'm going to focus on actually just came out not too long ago, Sonic Mania. I know what you're thinking, Sonic hasn't been worth a damn in forever and why does Sega even bother? You know why? Because 2D Sonic is still un-freaking-defeated and they just proved it with this game. Mania is a love letter to every 2D Sonic game ever and the love for the franchise is evident in every level, not to mention that Sonic still retains the title for franchise with the best music ever. The most interesting thing about this game is that Sega let fan developers do the work here and it shows in the faithful recreations of past Sonic levels as well as the creation of original ones. Make no mistake, this feels like an OG Genesis classic and really that's all we ever wanted.
The last game I'm going to focus on actually just came out not too long ago, Sonic Mania. I know what you're thinking, Sonic hasn't been worth a damn in forever and why does Sega even bother? You know why? Because 2D Sonic is still un-freaking-defeated and they just proved it with this game. Mania is a love letter to every 2D Sonic game ever and the love for the franchise is evident in every level, not to mention that Sonic still retains the title for franchise with the best music ever. The most interesting thing about this game is that Sega let fan developers do the work here and it shows in the faithful recreations of past Sonic levels as well as the creation of original ones. Make no mistake, this feels like an OG Genesis classic and really that's all we ever wanted.
So check out all of these games, they're truly worth your time and if you have Splatoon 2 already and are looking for a teammate, hit me on Twitter @peagle05 and remember: Always Ink Your Spawn.
-Peagle
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