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Metro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
The 5 worst mistakes of the Nintendo Switch 2 launch (and why it doesn't matter)
A reader breaks down the Switch 2 launch line-up and lists the mistakes he feels Nintendo has made, from the marketing to the prices. I'm not sure if anyone seriously thought the Nintendo Switch 2 would be a failure but to the absolute shock of no one sensible it hasn't been. It's the fastest-selling console ever, according to what I've read, and I'm sure that it will go on to have a very long life and plenty of great games. I have one and a copy of Mario Kart World, and I've enjoyed it a lot, but despite what I imagined at the start of the year – and I think a lot of people were like this – Nintendo's roll out of the console hasn't been as slick as I expected. I feel they have made a number of strange mistakes and just generally were too secretive and unclear about things for no reason that can have helped them. Since the console is selling anyway maybe they'll think they made the right decisions. I guess I should just assume they know better, because what do I know, but here's what I think they got wrong. I'm not going to come out and say Mario Kart World isn't worth £75, but then I don't really know because I only paid £35 for it, as part of the hardware bundle. And even if I had bought it separately, I would've bought it digitally, which is considerably cheaper. So why did Nintendo let the games being expensive become the story? Mario Kart is the only one that's that much and yet people are still running around saying it's £80. The launch report on the BBC news was all about how expensive it was, and I feel Nintendo just let all the bad press happen. If digital downloads are the majority now, why wasn't that figure the one that was being promoted, and the physical one was just an optional extra? Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. This is a more minor thing but I feel the hype of new reviews is all part of the fun of a new console launch, but we didn't get anything on launch day, just more previews and then a slow trickle over the coming days, that were obviously rushed or just ignored the smaller games entirely. Again, I don't feel that was a good look for Nintendo and because Mario Kart's reviews weren't completely ecstatic there's always going to be the question of whether they were purposefully trying to delay them until the last minute, which is not something I previously would've thought Nintendo would do. As a continuation of this, I don't think anyone would disagree that the way Mario Kart World uses its open world is weird, especially when it comes to the mostly empty Free Roam. It doesn't spoil the game, but it does remove the one thing that would've made the game a 10/10 all-timer and you really wouldn't have thought Nintendo would miss a trick like that. Also, it's kind of the fault of the marketing for hyping it up. If they'd barely mention the open world people wouldn't have been expecting anything, so I do think the marketing for the Switch 2 as a whole has had problem. It's only slowly come into focus just how bad the launch line-up is for the Switch 2. Not in terms of quality but the almost complete lack of exclusives. Just one proper one for Nintendo, only one kind-of full price one from third parties and everything else is just ports of sometimes multiple years old games. It feels rushed, for what must be the least rushed console ever, in terms of the time Nintendo had to plan for it and launching it in the middle of June – for still no reason that I can understand. This is linked to the previous point, but the future is also looking strangely bleak at the moment. I'm sure it's not overall but Nintendo has done very little to make it seem exciting. Hyrule Warriors 3 and Kirby Air Riders must be the two least wanted Nintendo sequels ever, then you've got that cheap looking basketball game, and then a Splatoon spin-off, and The Duskbloods from FromSoftware. And even that's multiplayer, so it's not as exciting as it first seemed. A new Zelda could be half a decade away at this point and we've got absolutely no idea about a new 3D Mario. More Trending By reader Garrant The reader's features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@ or use our Submit Stuff page and you won't need to send an email. MORE: Nintendo Switch 2: does it deserve the hate? - Reader's Feature MORE: I've had the Nintendo Switch 2 for one day and I'm not impressed – Reader's Feature MORE: Why is nobody talking about the PS5 anymore? – Reader's Feature
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
MA astronaut Sunita Williams has new return date after being stuck in space. Here's when
Two astronauts that are still stranded on the International Space Station (ISS), including Massachusetts native Sunita L. Williams, may be home earlier than expected. The astronauts have been stuck on the ISS since June due to problems with their spacecraft Boeing's Starliner. The problems included helium leaks in the propulsion system and the failure of five thrusters. Four of the thrusters were restored and one was turned off for the rest of the mission, according to NASA. Here's more about the situation, and when the two astronauts are expected to be back on Earth. NASA stated the new date is March 12, 2025. The initial return date was mid-June 2024, but after the latest delay back in December, the mission was scheduled to return by April 2025. Boeing's Starliner departed Earth on June 5, 2024 in a mission that was only supposed to be a brief one. The mission was originally scheduled to be eight days but the return has been delayed three times. Many space station missions last six months, with a few reaching a full year. The delay is not going to hurt the two astronauts physically, Dr. Simeon Barber, from the Open University, told BBC news. "I'm sure that they are already disappointed that they were going to miss Christmas back home with the folks," Barber told BBC news in December. "But this is only another two months on an already quite long mission, and I'm sure if you ask them, I'm sure they would tell you that the space station is where they love to be." Williams considers her hometown to be Needham. She graduated from Needham High School in 1983, according to NASA. Williams went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Physical Science, from the U.S. Naval Academy, 1987 and Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology, 1995. She was selected as an astronaut by NASA in June 1998. Williams is a veteran of two space missions. She is currently serving as the pilot of the Crew Flight Test mission aboard the Starliner. It is the first crewed flight for that vehicle. This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: MA astronaut to return after months stuck on ISS. Here's when
