2 Switch 2 Games.
by mooseymcman
As one can surmise from the title, either I've gotten a Switch 2, or am on a Fast and Furious kick again. For better or worse, it's the former. I wasn't sure at first if I was going to write anything about it, both from a lack of things to say about the console, and the fact that as I write this, I am in the midst of the weeks long process of editing and posting my Devil May Cry retrospective. And to be completely honest, I really don't have enough to say about the hardware for a post all on its own, but I do have a pair of games I got alongside it that I have plenty to say about!
Starting with the hardware though. More so than any other console I've ever bought, it really doesn't feel like that big of a deal? Or that new, honestly? The gimmick isn't novel anymore, I've had a Switch 1 for years after all. But when I use it, it doesn't really feel like I'm using something new, it just feels like the Switch. A lot of that is because it has literally the same exact UI as the Switch 1. Some different things buried in the options, like the original doesn't have a menu for adjusting HDR. As an aside, the calibration doesn't work right unless I have “Game HDR” on my TV activated. Which is annoying because it's the one thing my TV is inconsistent with whether it'll actually stay activated when I turn the TV off and back on again!
I know there's plenty to be said about the frustrations caused by things like removing UI features when moving from one generation to the next, that happened in the jump from PS4 to PS5. I would say they still haven't properly replicated how the folders worked on PS4! But something as simple as a refreshed look to the UI did make the PS5 feel new and different. I know I'm almost always an advocate for not fixing what ain't broken, but you don't realize how much it matters from an aesthetic, or vibe perspective until it becomes a copy and paste job. And I do remember now, people complaining about this with the Xbox Series, but oh well.
Part of why this purchase has a bit of a lack of excitement to me is one of my motivations for getting it...was fear of price increases. Everything's gone up! Blame whatever you want to blame (tariffs (I know things were going up in price before the tariffs (and in other countries), but they ain't helping!)), but if Nintendo was willing to raise the price of the original Switch, after eight years, what's to stop them from raising the Switch 2's price? Will it happen in the near future? Next year? The year after? Impossible to know! So yeah, part of why I got this thing was anxiety over costs, and maybe that's stupid. But what's done is done, and if it does increase, at least I'll have a little piece of mind. Peace of mind? I dunno.
So, the gimmick isn't novel anymore, but it still works. I'm primarily a hooked up to the TV type of Switch user, but the screen is a little larger, so that's cool. Supposedly 120 Hz too, which is higher than anything else I own. Not that I have any games at the moment that actually have a 120 FPS mode. Maybe if Prime 4 isn't as bad as the previews make it seem I'll get that and try out the high framerate, but that's for future me to decide. Not that that's really the sort of game I'd want to be playing in handheld with those Joycon sticks, handheld mode to me is for games like Balatro. Nothing action-y, but also the sorts of games that I don't really want to turn on my TV for.
I do, however, really like the feel of snapping the Joycons into the console. I was pretty skeptical about it using magnets, but they're sturdy! Plus, I can't really convey it in words, but it just feels good to attach them. Conversely, taking them off is kinda awkward. There's a little thingy on each Joycon you pull, and that pushes out a little rod on one end, which is supposed to push it far enough away to break the magnetic connection. And it does...on that side. But the magnets affect both ends of the Joycon, so the bottom part is still magnetized, thus it gets a little awkward. More so when pulling the second Joycon off, and I can't really hold onto the other one to stabilize the whole thing.
Now, I know the intent is you pull them off when it's docked, not while the thing is in handheld mode. But I'm using my expensive Pro Controller when it's docked, and I'm playing around with the magnets when it's handheld! So, as you can tell, it's not really a big issue. Definitely better that the magnets are strong enough for it to feel like it's not going to fall apart. Also, you can put them on upside down. Maybe even backwards? Doesn't seem useful for anything, but funny that they attach, still.
I'd say the sticks on the new Joycons feel a smidge bigger than the definitely too small ones on the Switch 1, but still I don't want to use them. So instead I gave Nintendo their blood money/increased due to tariffs money and bought the Pro Controller. It's pretty good on the whole, definitely better than the Switch 1 Pro Controller. Sticks and buttons feel nicer, with the sticks in particular not actually scraping the very edge of their enclosures. Not that the physical edge of the sticks eroding over time is that big an issue these days, but they feel smooth in a pleasing way. However, the overall “hand-feel” of the whole thing still isn't amazing, and the rumble is still weak.
I know that sort of thing is as subjective as it gets, but subjectively my hands think the DualSense is a lot more comfortable. And this is more expensive than the (more fully featured) DualSense, so I am a little annoyed. But, at least the battery life is much better than the DualSense, so I'll give it that. Also, I'd have to go dig it out and hold it to be sure, but in my memory the Wii U Pro Controller is still the most comfortable controller Nintendo's ever made. They should have stuck with those molds!
While it may be lacking the ergonomics, strong rumble, and adaptive triggers (also just triggers) of its competitor, it does feature a couple additional buttons. I guess they're probably “grip” buttons, since they're “GL” and “GR.” Down lower on the handles, they're where my middle fingers more or less naturally rest. These are here for the “pros” who want to remap stuff, and they're neat! Neither of the games I've played so far felt like they really needed it, but I've still used them, and like them. Not so much that I'm suddenly missing them when I play PS5 games, but enough that I will continue to use them as needed. Also, they get remapped on a per game basis, so I don't need to be going into the menus and swapping profiles or anything if I'm going between multiple games. It just remembers it per game, so that's handy. Quick to change when needed regardless, which is also handy.
That's kind of it for the hardware. I probably sound a little down on it, and I'd be lying if I said anything specific about the physical device itself was all that exciting to me. I wasn't the main audience for playing games handheld on its predecessor, and that wasn't going to magically change here. What I will say, is that under the hood, I am pretty impressed with how it runs the games, and I have/am greatly enjoying the games themselves. There is still something about knowing a handheld device that small is running games like this, and that impresses me. My first handheld was a Game Boy Color, and back then it still felt novel just to have a video game you could hold in your hand! Its innovation was color! Okay, I'll stop now before this turns into a nostalgia rant, haha.
So, mixed on the new console experience? Frankly, as blasphemous as it sounds, I'm at the point in my life where I would have preferred if Nintendo pulled a Sega and published their games on other consoles. I'd just as soon have played a PS5 version of Donkey Kong Bananza than buy a whole new console for it. But that's never gonna happen, so it is what it is. In a broad sense, it is nice that Nintendo exists to make the sort of genuinely good for all ages games they do. And I'd say it's nice they have their own “ecosystem,” but I know too well how flooded the eShop is with junk. Some people must buy that stuff, but this thing's primarily going to be a Nintendo machine for Nintendo games for me.
So long as the games are good, I'm having fun. After all, that's what matters most. The hardware is just the middle man, the means by which these games are conveyed to me. So, let me change the vibe, and get a bit more positive as I get into those games!
Donkey Kong Bananza.
The thing with Donkey Kong, is that as a game franchise, I'm not actually the biggest fan in the world. I liked the original Donkey Kong Country as a kid, but never played two or three. DK 64...again, I remember enjoying as a kid, but any time I see anything of it now as an adult, I really don't think it held up. Not even as well as its contemporaries from Rare at the time, the Banjo games. Tropical Freeze stands out in my memory as a really great game, yet when I glance back at that year's Moosies, I barely mentioned it at the time. Not even in my top ten that year, which feels crazy?? Looking at that list now, I'd say I remember liking it more than the majority of those games, but I also in retrospect would have picked a different overall GOTY, so I dunno what was going through my head back then. Probably nothing good.
But Donkey Kong as a character, I have this really weird affinity for. Part of it is having watched that unhinged 90s animated series that I dunno how else to describe than to call it cursed (I mean that affectionately), and part of it is that I just like gorillas. They're neat animals, and there's something about how similar they are to humans, while also being so distinct that fascinates me. As opposed to chimps, which are too similar to humans, and I feel like they're always up to something bad. Not like orangutans, who are also always up to something, but probably only fun things.
Anyway, obviously I have a lot of complicated feelings about the great apes (and the mediocre ones, like humans), which includes DK and his whole extended primate family (Nintendo says that Diddy Kong is a “chimp,” but he is a MONKEY with a TAIL). So, it was kind of a bummer to go eleven years after Tropical Freeze with not the slightest hint of a new DK game. He kept showing up in games like Smash and Mario Kart, then both the Retro Studios DKC games got Switch releases, and believe me I know I should play DKC Returns too. It's also been long enough I should replay Tropical Freeze, but I don't want to hook up my Wii U again, or give Nintendo their blood money for a re-release when the only addition is the New Funky Mode. I mean I did to replay Bayonetta 2 a few years ago, but that was partly to refresh myself on the story before Bayonetta 3.
So, I was (mostly) delighted when one of the big new titles revealed for the Switch 2 was a brand new adventure starring my favorite, most lovable ape! I say mostly, because ever since that Mario animated movie (which I've not seen), Nintendo has given DK a bit of a redesign...and I still don't entirely love it. Overall it's fine in the game, even if I think some of his face animations are a bit much (specifically when his tongue is hanging out), but the clip I saw from the movie I really disliked.
Anyway, a brand new game after so long, with a bold new direction, and his spunky kid sidekick Pauline, I was excited for DK! I mean, not enough to buy a Switch 2 right then and there, but I was also in the midst of The Summer of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, so I wasn't going to interrupt that even if I had a Switch 2. But once I did get it, despite the console being bundled with a different game, I of course had to break it in with the ape of the hour himself.
I think the best way to sum up how I feel about Bananza is that within minutes, the game had put a genuine, honest to goodness smile on my face. It wasn't just that it had been so long since I played a DK game, there's something about the feel of this game that's joyful, and fun! It's a delight to roll around as this big ape, punching holes in walls, and tearing things to pieces! If there is anything that the game of this game is trying to convey, it is the sheer power of this gorilla. Rock walls crumble and fall to pieces before his might. His is a strength that would be terrifying in a game with a less cartoony art style.
It's a bit of a weird comparison, because they're not really similar games at all, but it kind of reminded me of The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. In the sense that Bananza feels like the first game since then to really convey this same level of just overwhelming physical force in a player character, but to also make it a delight! I'm sure that Hulk game would feel quaint by modern standards, but in my memory at least, it was a lot of fun throwing cars around and destroying stuff.
And it's just plain simple fun to punch through solid mountains as DK. Punching is so important in this game that DK has three separate punch buttons. Forward, upward, and downward, with mostly obvious uses. Upward is probably the most awkward one to use effectively, but there were enough time where it came in handy that I was glad for it. Punching forward is how most game punching works, and downward is good for tunneling straight down.
That's the thing, DK feels great to control, but the crux of all this is the destructibility of the levels. There is a core (usually metal) skeleton to every level that's indestructible, but basically everything else is fair game. And I don't mean that DK can knock down a fence, a little shack, or make some dents in the ground. I mean that most of these levels are thick, and deep with rock, dirt, gold, and other materials that DK can obliterate. Actual mountains that don't stand a chance against his mighty fists.
And this being an expertly made, handcrafted Nintendo release, there's stuff buried deep in all that earth and rock. There's a healthy amount of random luck with the game spawning in treasure chests and the like, but sometimes I would go tunneling into something, then find one of the game's main collectibles, a Banandium Gem. Now, you might be thinking, does this game expect you to go digging randomly into things, with no clue of where to go? Well, of course, being a gorilla, DK can slap the ground to send out a sonar wave, and see hidden goodies.
Just like real life.
In all seriousness, what really makes Bananza special, where the “Nintendo Magic” lies is how these systems collide with the game built around them. Destructibility is nothing new, Minecraft has existed for what feels like ever now, and plenty of other games like Deep Rock Galactic are also built around tunneling through rock and stone. Most games like that are procedurally generated, and feel relatively lower budget in some way or another. I loved what I played of Deep Rock, but for as great as it is, it feels like a game made by a smaller team with lower resources.
Bananza is what happens when you give these ideas a massive budget, and almost a decade to coalesce. These levels are enormous, so much so that Cranky Kong even jokes about levels being “too deep” these days! Big enough to get lost in them in the best possible way, but also focused and directed enough that it still feels like I'm working toward something.
It's also, more than anything else, the thing that most makes this feel like a game that simply wouldn't be possible on the previous Switch. These levels are too vast, too detailed, and the framerate (usually) too high for the Switch 1 to even dream about handling it. No, the Switch 2 isn't the most powerful hardware out there, I'm sure a PS5 or Xbox Series X could run this game flawlessly, and with a much higher resolution to boot. But Nintendo exists outside that hardware race, and by the standards of all their previous machines, this was a pretty big leap, and I'm so happy at least one studio decided to use that power in such a creative, fun way.
I've said before that Nintendo games at their best feel like what happens when you combine AAA budgets with indie creativity, and I don't think it's any clearer than it is here. Not every single moment in the game is some wondrous, magical thing, but it is so much fun throughout that it just makes me wish more big budget games were like this. I said last year that I hoped Astro Bot would be a turning point where more big studios would start focusing on fun like that game. Yet I know the industry moves at a snail's pace even in the best of times, so whatever impact it has will take years to manifest. But this past year really feels like that snail is drowning in molasses, in a pretty worrying way.
Back to DK, though. I keep bringing up the destruction, but that's not all there is to this game's creativity. Soft materials, like dirt, will stick together if DK throws a chunk at it. And those chunks build up on each other, meaning a level of construction is possible too! Now, this feels a lot more haphazard, and I didn't find as many uses for it as just smashing things to bits, but it felt really cool when I could solve something by building a makeshift bridge, or blocking out the (underground) sun and creating shadow to affect a certain solar powered foe.
Naturally the individual levels have their own gimmicks, and DK's new Bananza transformations often play into those. The snowy frozen dessert level has brittle walkways that crumble the second DK steps on them, but his Zebra mode allows him to run fast enough to make it across, or the poison swamp level's Ostrich mode lets him fly and glide in safety. Never mind that real ostriches don't do either of those things, something that Pauline even points out.
I'm a little mixed on the Bananzas, mostly because I think out of the five of them, three look kind of hideous. The Zebra and Ostrich are fun to play, but there's something about the way they look that displeases me. And don't get me started on the Snake, which both looks bad and is unwieldy to use. But the Gorilla and Elephant Bananzas? Love them, both great.
It's not just about tearing the levels apart, or piecing them back together, there's some good platforming hidden in here too. Definitely not as much of a focus as this studio's previous game (Mario Odyssey), but it's possible to string DK's moves together to get him some serious air. Using chunk jumps to stay up, and mid-air rolls to move forward, it's fun. Partly because that's stuff the game never really teaches you to combine, so figuring it out at times felt like I was pulling one over on the game.
But that's the magic of these modern, more open ended Nintendo games. There isn't any pulling one over on them because the whole point is finding your own solutions! That's the Nintendo Magic at play again, designing a game that makes you think you're the only person who could have come up with this nonsense way to get to that Banana, but in reality who knows how many other people did, including those who made the game.
Then there's the new sidekick, Pauline. A young girl who the game says is 13 in a loading screen despite her looking about half that, she accompanies DK on this wild ride deeper and deeper into the planet, trying to reach the core. I was a little leery at first about her as the sidekick, and wondering why they couldn't have brought one of DK's former sidekicks (like Diddy or Dixie) back instead, but she grew on me over the game. She's cute, and fun, and I think it's funny that every single one of her many lines are voiced in English (or a variety of other languages, based on the menus), while all the other characters get silly gibberish. But like, they had actual people voicing those gibberish lines, because you can clearly hear them say names like “Pauline” or “Bananza” when it's in the text.
It feels like an insane thing to say about a Donkey Kong game, but I need to talk about how this game ends, and give a SPOILER warning. Yes, genuinely. Don't read the next section if you intend to play this game, even though I'm sure the big “reveal” won't mean much to anyone who isn't already a DK sicko.
SPOILERS.
So, as I said earlier, the goal of the game is to reach the center of the planet. There, supposedly, lies the Banandium Root, the source of all the Banandium streaked throughout every layer of the planet. The Root, it's said, is so powerful it can grant any wish, including returning Pauline to her home on the surface, and giving DK as many bananas as he desires. Naturally, while these two have wholesome wishes, untold power attracts those less scrupulous, and this becomes a race between the intrepid heroes, and the dastardly Void Company to see who gets there first.
Things happen along the way, DK and Pauline befriend each other, and even the underlings of the Void Company turn against their boss as they realize how (literally) fruitless this campaign is. Eventually DK/Pauline get there, as does the villainous Void Kong, but what they think is the root looks...familiar... Big, round, and with a...belly button??
I mentioned before that there's been some long gaps in the Donkey Kong franchise, but even in the games themselves, certain things, and characters just stopped showing up at a point. If we're only talking the main releases, not including side games, or other Nintendo franchises like Smash Bros., there's one character who had not been in a game, not been a major focus since Donkey Kong 64, way back in 1999.
Twenty-six years.
I'm talking about that cold blooded, bloodshot eyed, crown and cape wearing menace himself...
King K. Rool. At the core of the planet, waiting all these years, he finally returns! Now, I'm sure people are rolling their eyes, thinking I'm making too big a deal out of this, but seeing him after all this time excited me! Also implying that the reason he hasn't been in any games in so long (again, being playable in Smash doesn't count) is that he was trapped in the core of the planet is extremely funny.
So, naturally Void Kong was more chump than chimp, and gets tossed aside, as it's also revealed that all the enemies DK fought on this adventure were fossilized versions of classic DK foes all along. I really suspected it, given the reptilian nature of them, so again, I was happy to be fighting proper Kremlings at the end of this game.
It's not just that K. Rool is here, though. The actual ending sequence of this game is truly one of the most over the top, absurd, and ridiculous in any game I've ever played. Starts with a fun boss fight, then there's a credits fake out (something I don't think I've seen in a Nintendo game before), a set piece moment where DK and Pauline have to survive an onslaught from K. Rool as they ride the Banandium Root all the way back to the surface. And where do they surface?
New Donk City!
With the power of the Banandium Root in his claws, K. Rool floods the city with molten banana goo, and there's a tremendous platforming sequence before one last fight with the crooked crocodile himself. A fight so big, and over the top that at points it tanks the framerate. Which is kind of annoying, but it's so impressive that I'm fine with it.
Naturally DK and Pauline succeed, and the story ends. More than anything else, I just had to mention K. Rool, and how crazy the ending sequence is. I'd heard it was wild, but if anything it exceeded expectations!
END OF SPOILERS.
So, that's about all I have to say about Bananza. Absolutely a delight, and about as good a game as I think anyone could expect for something so early in a console's life. It's a fully featured, deep adventure, and uses the tech to do some truly creative, and downright fun things! My only complaints are the game is easier than I wish, and the music, while still good, is not on the same level as Tropical Freeze's legendary soundtrack.
At least there's a snippet of the DK Rap in Bananza, and some other new versions of music from the older games. But on the whole, a lot of it doesn't really sound like Donkey Kong, which isn't a huge deal, except it ends up sounding more like OTHER Nintendo franchises. In particular there's a couple songs that might as well be Goron music from Tears of the Kingdom. Again, not bad, and I'm not even saying it doesn't fit where it plays, just a bit odd.
There is one other game I've been playing on my Switch 2, that I actually only saw credits on after writing my initial draft. Not that the ending changed my feelings on it either way, but worth noting.
Bundled with my Switch 2, I could only be talking about...
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.
Yes, on the system level menu, in both the text and icon art, it specifically specifies this is the “Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.” Some things never change, huh? At least it makes it clear I didn't accidentally download the wrong version? In game it just has the actual title, at least.
Longtime readers will recall that while I greatly enjoyed Pokémon Legends Arceus a few years ago, it was the first proper Pokémon game I had played since the 90s. Magikarp Jump on mobile doesn't really count. And it will probably not be surprising that it remained the only one I had played...until the next in the Legends sub-franchise! Scarlet and Violet, even if it weren't for the astounding technical shortcomings, really didn't look that appealing to me. Neither had any other mobile games, remakes, or whatever else they've done since. Legends though, something about what they're doing with these games in particular speaks to me.
I'm still surprised at just how different Z-A is from Arceus. Arceus was a game about exploration, with one of the main goals being to research Pokémon, and create the first fully featured Pokédex. There were plenty of other things going on in the story, with the protagonist being isekaied back in time hundreds of years by a disgruntled time god Pokémon, but I'm more talking about the thrust of the game design, than the narrative. Again, the game had its own technical shortcomings, but in so many ways it was the realization of the grand adventure Pokémon felt like as a child. And I loved it!
Z-A, however, has a completely different setup. Set in the Pokémon world's modern day, it begins with the player character, a generic teen with a mild amount of character customization, taking a train to scenic Lumiose City. Fictional of course, but extremely Parisian in theme, as I would guess all of the Kalos region is probably French inspired, or at least European. I can't really say for sure, I didn't play the games it originally appeared in! What I do know is that between the sprawling olde timey buildings, and the scenic Prism Tower...towering over the rest of the city, this is the most anime Paris to have ever anime Parised. At least in a video game (that I've played).
Being a video game protagonist, of course this simple trip doesn't go as planned. The first person they meet (one of two different teens (depending on the player character's gender; I got the gal, Taunie)), soon ropes them into both of this game's intertwining subplots. The more major of them being a looming crisis involving “Rogue Mega Evolution” and so many wild Pokémon coming to the city that areas need to be cordoned off as “Wild Zones” to keep the human citizens safe. Then there's local battle royale tournament, the titular Z-A. The objective? Climb the ranks from lowly Z all the way up to the mountainous A. I will say, while you do meet a scientist early on who encourages you (with plenty of rewards) to research Pokémon via various means, really Z-A feels wildly different from Arceus.
Which, in many ways, is good! Arceus feeling fresh, new, and different was what drew me back to Pokémon after decades away, so if the Legends games were the same thing game after game... That would get stale eventually too. Now, I'll be honest, if I had to say which of the two I prefer in terms of overall game structure, I'd say the exploration of Arceus is probably my favorite. I've had a great time with Z-A, and plenty of the moment to moment game systems I like better, but I'll get to that when I get to the combat.
First though, I want to get the negatives out of the way. I said before that I loved Arceus despite its technical shortcomings, but I need to also mention that some of those shortcomings were really caused more by budget or resource restrictions, rather than the limits of the Switch 1. Arceus' aliasing being so bad that even when I picture it in my mind, I see those jagged pixelated edges, that I consider a technical limitation. The complete lack of voice acting? A choice made, I'm sure, primarily to save time and money. The environments lacking in detail compared to Breath of the Wild (a Wii U game at heart)? I think that's a resource limitation. Framerate being bad? Probably a mix of both.
But this is the Switch 2 version of Z-A, so how does it compare? Well, perhaps surprisingly, I do think the more powerful hardware is actually being put to fairly good use here, at least relative to the Switch 1 version. In the sense that the framerate feels locked to 60, and I think this game looks shockingly sharp. Or, at the very least, when I look at it on my 4K TV, I think it's pleasing, as opposed to a pixelated mess (on a 1080P TV, which is how I played Arceus).
Definitely shocking, was when I watched the Digital Foundry video and learned the game is using DLSS to upscale from a lower resolution than the Switch 1 version! Honestly, go watch that video, it is remarkable how much better this version looks considering that. I genuinely thought that, given what I'll get to in a minute, the simple graphics meant the resolution was a lot higher, and that's why it looked nice. Dozens of hours spent with this game, assuming it was running at 1440P, and not being super-sampled up to that from sub-1080P.
Fun fact, since I'm not a PC gaymer, this is genuinely the first game I've ever played using DLSS. I think it is extremely funny to have that be a Pokémon game, of all things.
So, the Switch 2 version of the game is just using the extra power to clean up the game that's already there, basically. Some higher detailed textures too, but that's the sort of thing you wouldn't know without directly comparing the two. Point being that unlike DK Bananza, a game that would have to be drastically changed and scaled back to work on Switch 1, this is a cross gen game with some extra bells and whistles.
And...I want to say it feels like it, but that feels dishonest because I know the Switch 1 is capable of more. I played over two-hundred hours of Tears of the Kingdom, I played Xenoblade Chronicles 3, I know it could do more, and I know the Switch 2 is then powerful enough to do those at better framerates and resolutions. Or at least for Zelda, I don't think there's any Switch 2 Edition of XC3 (yet?).
Z-A is set entirely in Lumiose City, and in terms of its overall scale, I'd say it reminds me of the Yakuza series. In that it's large enough that for a game where you travel solely by foot (there's fast travel aplenty for the impatient) it feels fairly sprawling, but you can get from one end to the other in...probably five minutes? I haven't timed it, but that's what it reminds me of. The key difference between this and Yakuza is that while RGG Studio has always had a...let's say “cost saving” approach to their games, they manage to pour a level of detail, and care into their worlds that makes them feel alive in ways that many games don't. There's more detail and character in a random back alley in Kamurocho than there are in some entire open world games. And that's going back to at least Yakuza 3 on PS3! Never mind something like Yakuza 0, which is also available on Switch 2, and I'm sure is just about as good there as it was on PS4.
Z-A's Lumiose, though... I don't want to be too harsh, but it really does not hold up to any sort of close scrutiny. First off, most buildings are so flat and boxy, they almost look more like a paper-craft with a print out of tiled window textures glued on. But even that I don't feel good saying because I think an intentional paper-craft look (like Paper Mario) would be better! They're not all entirely flat, there's geometry sticking out, and especially the more important buildings are more detailed, but walk down most streets in Lumiose and you'll see most buildings are repeating textures ad nauseam.
In practice though, it doesn't bother me too much, or at least not as much as the NPCs. Some of them will walk or run around, some have convincing idle animations. Many are standing still, yes, but are at least positioned to look like they're talking with someone else, or interacting with a Pokémon. The ones that get me, that really make this game feel not just like a game, but a lifeless one are the NPCs standing completely still, alone, and in the middle of the street. No, there's no cars on the streets (other than parked fast travel taxis), but come on. These people exist purely to stand there for all eternity, and only respond when you talk to them, so they can say something deranged like, “My life sucks, I just want to smell Pokémon.”
I paraphrased that one a little, and while I like how silly (and depressing!) a lot of the dialog is, it just kills any semblance of a feeling that this could be a real place, with real people or animals (Pokémon) living in it. I will say it fairs a little better with the wild Pokémon, both inside and outside the Wild Zones. Pidgeys will land on lamp posts, flower Pokémon will gently waft about patches of grass, and cute little Trubbish (living trash bags) will flap their arms in delight if you show interest in them, among other things.
I get why in a Pokémon game they would put more resources into the Pokémon than the people, but you spend a lot of time running around town seeing these lifeless NPCs standing still. It's the sort of thing that just a little more attention to detail, a little more thought put into it would alleviate it, at least a little. Though I will give the game a slight bit of credit, because when night falls most of the NPCs go home to bed, and some Pokémon go to sleep (or show up if they're nocturnal). So in the game's defense there is at least that attention to “detail.” It's still far from Shenmue (a Dreamcast game!) actually showing the NPCs go about their daily schedules, but it's better than nothing.
I know comparing it to Shenmue isn't fair, this isn't trying to be that, but I think the Yakuza comparison is, because it really does feel structurally very similar. The better side quests have a bit of a “sub-story” feel to them, even if the complete and utter lack of voice acting makes them (and the main story) feel a bit deflated compared to Yakuza (which I know also doesn't voice most side content).
Again, I wouldn't expect a game like this to voice every single line, and I don't need to hear some under-paid/over-worked voice actor tell me how it's “another day without being reincarnated as a Pokémon” (an actual line in this game), but I really wish at least the main story stuff was voiced. I'm not even saying it needs to have it in every language the game's text was localized into, I'd be happy with just Japanese for every region! Or if they were real sickos and did French as the only voiced language since that's what the setting is inspired by (there's even snippets of Français mixed into the dialog), that'd be cool! I'd even be happy if they had gibberish, or some “oh, wha, oh-ho” type silly vocalizations, anything would be better than nothing.
And while I'm on the subject, it'd be nice if some of the Pokémon didn't sound like they were using the same exact beeps and boops they had back on the Game Boy decades ago! I guess it's a little nostalgic, just bizarre.
But here's the thing. Everything else in this game? Kind of rad. I know I just spent paragraphs complaining about the low production values, but also there's something really cute, and charming about this game. I can take my character, a “boy,” put them in a cute skirt, then go to a cafe and take pictures with my Pokémon seated at the table with me. Yes, I am a little annoyed they don't show a plate or drink in front of the Pokémon (despite the cafe healing all the Pokémon in your party, so presumably they are eating something), but like...
For all its faults, and however lacking some aspects may be, there is a charm and a heart in this game that I love. Playing dress up in anime France is really cute, and I love that none of the clothing is gender locked. It's fun to roleplay my character as a “boy” who made some changes about how they present themselves as soon as they had the freedom (and money) to do so. It's charming to be able to pull out my phone (which is also a Pokémon?) and pose for pictures with my Poké-pals! There's something special about strolling down the streets, with a Pokémon at my side, and hearing the beautiful music wash over me. Yes, there's so many different ways to nitpick, and tear it apart, but I would be lying if I didn't say it ultimately works.
It turns out, sometimes the escapism I need is being a French femboy on vacation with Pokémon. Sprinkle in a fighting tournament, the power of friendship, and an ancient super weapon (???), and really, what else could you ask for?
I haven't even gotten into the biggest change to the core game, which is the combat. It's real time now. Yes, really! Not a turn order list, not even an active time battle meter, genuine real time combat. All the moves have cool-downs, and positioning actually matters! Your Pokémon moves to follow you, and a lot (but not all) attacks can be dodged. Meaning that unlike Arceus, even when a move misses, it's still animated (the effects on the animations are pretty good too, even if obviously they didn't uniquely animate all 230+ Pokémon in this game). Well, a lot of them feel like they're guaranteed to hit, but there's ways to mitigate the damage, including defensive moves that I wouldn't quite call parries, but they require good timing to actually reduce/negate the damage, so it's pretty close.
Arceus already had its own spin on the Pokémon combat, with an explicit turn order, and Fast/Strong versions of moves. I liked all that stuff, but it's no longer here. The speed of moves still matters, of course, sometimes it's better to get something fast out there and just do any damage at all, especially if both Pokémon are low on HP, and that next hit decides the victor. There's status effects, moves with areas of effect, and some will even make the other Pokémon flinch, interrupting them! Each Pokémon can only have four moves equipped at a time (one on each face button), but they can be freely swapped in and out, so long as you're not engaged in combat. So no reason to not experiment.
When it comes down to it, I like Z-A's combat better than Arceus'. No idea if this is where the series is going forward, if it's just for the Legends games, or if Legends 3 will return to turns. Personally I think they should keep building on and evolving this, but no way to know for now. Again, it's hardly an action game, and it's certainly far from the most tactical combat out there, but it sits in a fun middle between those, and the Pokémon combat of old. It gets hectic, because most enemy trainers aren't going to just sit there and do nothing waiting for you to act. Some in particular are ruthless, and will attack the second there is an opening. Even if that's right when you have to call in another Pokémon, and they knock it out instantly because the fight wasn't going well, and I was frantically swapping between them, throwing out one that was already low on health.
Since I don't have the Switch Online subscription, I can't play online, so I dunno how well it does or doesn't work in multiplayer. I know there's a free-for-all type mode with (at least?) four players together in an arena, and that looked fun in a video. I bet it gets really intense!
And don't get me started on the wild Pokémon! Perhaps as a side effect of the Wild Zones being pretty small compared to the giant open spaces of Arceus, but in Z-A they really love to gang up on you. That would happen in Arceus, but even if they did, it was still turn based, so you could take as long as you needed to think. Not so much here when you walk into a zone and are immediately jumped by five or six fire lions at once. One of which being a giant alpha with glowing red eyes, and an attack that will hit you even if you climb to a nearby roof! Better make sure you're good at dodge-rolling (I mapped that to one of the grip buttons).
Given how different Z-A is from Arceus, it's funny to think about the few things Game Freak decided were core enough to the Legends sub-series to bring forward. Specifically that, “your teen character being ganged up on by wild Pokémon” was the key thing! Not only do the wild Pokémon still target your human... If anything, they prefer it! Plenty of times I would get spotted by a particularly nasty alpha, throw out my Pocket Monster to wear them down, but I was still the target! Eventually after doing enough damage they would shift their focus, but even then, they'd get a few swipes in at me. Or some other Pokémon would sneak up on me from behind. It's brutal, and honestly makes me understand why these parts of the city need to be cordoned off. And why some in game worry about how more and more of the city gets turned to Wild Zones as the story progresses.
And speaking of brutal, there's the Z-A tournament! Ironically, this kind of reminds me of the really old Pokémon games. Arceus, being set in the wilderness, didn't feature many battles against other trainers. When it did, they were always part of either the main story, or specific side quests (I think?). In Z-A, during the day that's the same, but at night, a random section (sections plural in the post game) of the city is designated the Battle Zone. In there it's a free-for-all, with every victory gaining points toward the next challenger ticket for a promotion match, and bonus medals for cash payouts (with a multiplier that increases with number of victories (the highest I've gotten is 2.5x, which took twenty victories)).
There's also bonus cards with sub-objectives for more points/medals. They're all stuff like starting fights with a surprise attack, using certain types of moves, super-effective moves, etc. These are good both because the number of points needed for the later challenger tickets would require spending multiple nights to acquire otherwise (but make it doable in one (in post game I can even get through multiple in one night if I get lucky with the cards!)), and also give me things to focus on. I might not use a poison Pokémon as much if I didn't have an objective to poison X number of Pokémon (a sentence that sounds much worse outside of this context!).
The thing that reminds me of the old Pokémon games is that the Battle Zones are filled with random trainers, and they challenge you on the spot, no questions asked. But, unlike those old games, here if I'm sneaky enough, I get the drop on them. And trust me, it does feel good to not only get that first hit, but sometimes knock out a Pokémon with a single blast. On the flip side, less good when I'm trying to sneak up on someone, then it turns out there was another trainer who sees me first, then they get the first hit on me!
It's a lot of fun, even if like other parts of the game the facade falls apart if you think about it. The Z-A tournament is supposed to be a battle royale, with anyone fighting anyone else in the zone, but the other trainers only ever actually fight the player. They just wander around in set little areas, on the lookout, but never interacting with each other. And the stealth is silly. Only your human character gets detected, which is good in a sense. No one would be happy if your AI companion could get spotted and ruin the stealth. But also...it's extremely funny when I can hide behind a lamp post, then as the other person is looking in my direction, tell my Feraligatr Homer to stroll up and Aqua Jet punch the other person's Pokémon in the face. Also, the other Pokémon will like, eventually signal to their trainer when they see me, but it's easier to trick them than the trainers.
Nitpicking aside, as long as you have a little suspension of disbelief, it works, and it's fun! So much fun that I took a lot longer to get through this game that I probably needed to because I kept spending time in the battle royale. Not every single in game night, but a lot of them! How else was I going to fund my shopping trips? I need to look nice for all the selfies I take with my Pokémon!
The story...is a weird one because it really spends most of the game on a lot of silly side stuff. A lot of time spent dealing with Rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon (a process the game goes to great lengths to assure the players isn't good for the Pokémon, so the right thing to do is fight them), and a lot of time spent on going up against rivals to rise the ranks in the tournament. Which, one complaint I have is that while ostensibly you're supposed to go from Z to A, the game skips over half the alphabet in the middle there. I get it, doing that many bespoke boss fights was probably too many, for a variety of reasons. Then maybe they should have come up with a different theme! Or instead of skipping so many all at once, have each promotion match jump you two or three ranks. I dunno.
Anyway, for the majority of the story, it just feels like a kids game, not doing anything super deep, or anything I really need to talk about. Then in the final hours it gets into the stuff it was hinting at all along, and... It's kind of a lot to just take in. I do feel like I missed some things from not having played Pokémon X or Y, but perhaps that mystery only added to my intrigue, and my surprise. Anyway, it was good, though I technically haven't finished all the post game missions. From what I can tell looking up online, I need 15 Infinite Z-A “Rewards Match” wins (the replacement for Promotion Matches), which will take some time. Enough so that I'm taking a break to play Silksong before I return, probably when the DLC hits.
And the characters are all charming and fun, particularly everyone in Team MZ (the group the protagonist joins). Taunie's a lovable goof, I think how much Naveen acts like he's annoyed with the others' shenanigans is funny, and Lida feels more like the actual team leader, even if Taunie says that's her. Then there's the mysterious, and extremely tall AZ. More going on with him than I would have assumed at the start!
Outside of them, I'm particularly taken with Corbeau. He runs a local crime syndicate, whose MO seems to be convincing gullible teens (Taunie) into taking shady loans, then forcing them to pay off said loans...by doing community service. Then he (mild spoiler) just straight up gave Taunie the money she needed to pay him back. Of course under the guise of a tip for the excellent service after staying a night at Hotel Z.
Plus, it's cute that he's a grown man the same height as these sixteen year olds.
There's a few other mild “problems” I have that I want to quickly mention. You still can't pet the Pokémon, and I want to. Again, doesn't need to be a bespoke animation for every single one, but I just wish there were more ways to directly interact with them, and specifically more caring ways. That, and of course in a game using such a “small” subset of Pokémon, obviously there's going to be omissions that make me sad. But like... No Snorlax?? Come on! That's my favorite! Snorlax owns!
At least Gengar (my second favorite) is in there. Not to just keep comparing it to Arceus, but I think that one had an overall better selection. Never mind that so many of the new Hisui variants were rad (they gave Growlithe a beard!), whereas the new Mega Evolutions here are... Mostly good, but the misses are really bad. Especially as someone who picked Totodile, because Mega Feraligatr is... Pretty dumb looking.
Conversely, Mega Hawlucha (luchador hawk), Chandalure (haunted chandelier), and Ampharos (electric sheep) are all perfect. And don't get me started on Mega Starmie. Very silly, and made for some good memes outside the game too.
That's probably about all I should say about Legends Z-A. Actually, I need to mention the music one more time. I'm sure most of the tracks are remixes or new versions of songs from older games, but I think it's a fantastic soundtrack. Like, it would be a shoe-in for (my personal) music of the year if it weren't for the actually most French game of the year, Expedition 33. The songs aren't just great, it's the way the game dynamically changes them that I really love. It's pretty obvious how it switches between the quiet, subdued Wild Zone music with the wild battle music once the Pokémon see you. But it took me a lot longer than it should have to realize the game was shifting the walking around town music for each district. It is a genuinely seamless transition in the instrumentation, and adds so much to the ambiance of Lumiose City.
Never mind that this is some of the saxophonest saxophone that Nintendo's house band has saxophoned yet. Phenomenal stuff.
Closing thoughts on the Switch 2.
So, those are my thoughts on the two games I've been spending most of my time with on Switch 2. I mean, I've also been playing a bit of Balatro again, but that hasn't been updated for Switch 2, so far as I know. And I did technically, out of curiosity, try out the Switch 2 version of...Fortnite. I mean, it's a functional version of Fortnite. Doesn't look as good as the PS5 version, or have the fancy Lumen lighting, but it's good. That's all I have to say about that. And when Digital Extremes releases the Switch 2 version of Warframe, I'll try that too!
I know I sounded pretty down on it in the early parts of this, but I've been having a great time with the games themselves. I know I could have played Z-A on Switch 1, but I do think the framerate and DLSS have made it a meaningfully better experience. And the load times, I forgot to mention, but they're so fast I have to assume the Switch 1 version loads slower?
Better, but $450 better? Eh... That's beside the point. I bought the thing, and I'm using it! And hopefully I'll keep using it. I do want to play Hades II, and presumably get to that before they do a PS5 version. Be a bit silly to not play a better version if it exists and I have access to it, you know? Maybe it's sillier to not just wait, but that's life.
That, and as much as I am worried about Metroid Prime 4's potentially annoying companion NPCs after those previews, I'm still hoping it's a good game overall. It'd be nice if Nintendo games got sale prices more, so I could feel more confident it would get cheaper and I wouldn't have to spend $60 or $70 on it (let's be real, I'll spend the extra ten dollars for the higher resolution and HDR). Of course I never actually played that remaster of Prime 1, so even if it hasn't been updated for Switch 2, I can always get that to fulfill my nostalgia.
Beyond that though...I really don't think there's anything announced that has my interest? DLC for Legends Z-A, that's soon. I'll play that! Maybe not immediately, depending on how Metroid turns out. Probably still years out from the next main Zelda game... Maybe we're close to a Xenoblade announcement? Or whatever Monolithsoft is working on, if they're being allowed to do something else? Could always replay Mario Odyssey or 3D World, those both got patches for higher resolutions.
But it's Nintendo, they have more capacity to just announce a game and release it a month or two later than anyone else. They did that with Paper Mario: The Origami King, and that game was great! So, who knows.
Now, if anyone is wondering, would I recommend getting a Switch 2 right now? Given how well it's sold, I think people already know the answer for that themselves. I'd say if you already have a Switch 1, and do most of your gaming elsewhere, it's not a necessary purchase right now. Unless you're really worried about price hikes, like I was.
Conversely, if you somehow didn't have a Switch 1 (I know one friend in particular who has never owned a Nintendo, and yet loves 3D platformers, so it drives me CRAZY they've never played Mario), I think it'd be a pretty good get. Again, with Nintendo pricing it'd be pricy to get all the Switch 1 hits (at least new, I dunno what used prices are like), but there's a lot of classics in there.
Anyway, thanks for reading! I'm sure I'll have even more to say about DK and Pokémon when I get to the Moosies, so stay tuned!