Why I'm taking a week off work for the Nintendo Switch 2 launch
It's over eight years since the launch of the original Nintendo Switch and it seems like both yesterday and half a lifetime ago. I absolutely agree with suggestions that it's the best console ever made, and I couldn't be happier with my purchase and all the many games I've bought for it. All the previews of Switch 2 have been very positive, but I don't need to read them; I'm completely happy to take a risk on getting it day one, and I've already planned the days off.
I'm actually a little gutted I can't go to any of the midnight launches. I'm very glad to hear they're still going but by the time I knew about them I'd already pre-ordered from Nintendo. So I'll be stuck at home on Thursday, desperately hoping for the postie to ring the doorbell.
He'll be bringing the console with the Mario Kart World bundle and I'll also be buying Welcome Tour, Split Fiction, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, Civilization 7, and upgrades for the two Zelda games and Super Mario Party Jamboree. (I'm not rich, I've just been saving and haven't bought a new game yet this year.)
I've seen it said that the Switch 2 launch line-up is not that good, and I will agree I had expected more in the way of exclusives, both first and third party, but I think we have to remember this is June and, hardware launch or not, that's not exactly prime video game-buying time. In fact, it's the opposite.
Still, I think you'll agree that little lot should keep me busy for a while, which is why I booked the whole week off to play it. Which is not quite as crazy as it sounds. The console comes out on Thursday and then on Friday it's Summer Game Fest, which starts late at night, so I'd rather not come home knackered from work to stay up to watch that.
Sunday is the Xbox summer showcase – which I'm not super interested in but could have some Switch 2 news – and, well… with luck the weather will be nice so I thought, sod it, I'll just take a full week off, or at least to Wednesday. That gives me enough time to play my new console, to watch and recover from the showcases, and to still have some quality time with the missus.
It'll be a week of full-on video game indulgence, and I can't wait. In an increasingly bleak world, I find the thought of doing nothing but wasting my time with video games very appealing. We all know Mario Kart World is going to be amazing but as well as that I can play through Cyberpunk 2077 and its DLC, try out the mouse controls for Civilization 7, and play co-op with my wife on Split Fiction – which I've been purposefully holding back on till now.
Plus, I get to play remastered versions of the two best Zelda games and a bunch of fun new party games for Super Mario Party, that also use the GameChat camera, which I'm also buying. It's a lot at once, I agree, but I feel I'm worth it and for once I do have time to play it all.
As for what I'm hoping for from the showcases. Well, mostly I'd like there to be a Nintendo Direct, which there seems a reasonable chance of but which, at least as I'm writing this, they haven't announced yet.
Obviously, I'd like there to be a secret Nintendo game for Christmas, ideally a 3D Mario, but I really don't think that's very likely. I do imagine they'll have some kind of small extra though and maybe a tease of what's to come next year. More Trending
I do still have my PlayStation 5, so I guess I'd be interested in anything that announced for that, especially Resident Evil 9 or Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3, but at the moment I'm all about the Switch 2. I hope it lives up to the legacy of its predecessor but at the moment I have no reason to think it won't and all the time in the world to find out!
By reader Onibee
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MORE: This week was low-key the worst in modern video game history – Reader's Feature
MORE: Star Wars Battlefront 3 needs to have these new features - Reader's Feature
MORE: 5 reasons why I'm not buying a Nintendo Switch 2 this year - Reader's Feature
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