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"[Game] 1-2 Switch"

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Mon 13/03/17 at 23:39
Regular
"Ghosts Can't Die!"
Posts: 774
Amidst all the excitement of the Switch launch I've now managed to sink a number of hours into a good handful of its new titles. While Breath of the Wild will obviously need far more than a couple of weekends to complete Link's epic journey and Snipperclips is being put through its paces (and testing relationships) by myself and the girlfriend I did put more than enough time into Nintendo's other first party effort, 1-2 Switch.

By now you've probably heard all the comments of how the game is overpriced or that it should come bundled with the console. Valid concerns to have of course especially considering Wii Sports and Nintendoland too were packaged with their respective consoles, but surely if the quality of the experience is high enough then it doesn't matter? Is 1-2 Switch worth the price of entry?

The short answer is no. While there are plenty of neat ideas packed into 1-2 Switch they’re just short distractions that simply can’t carry a full priced product and instead offer a demonstration of what the new system can do. Think of it as a group of tech demoes if you will. You’ll be waving, flicking, dancing, pointing and making pretty much every gesture you’re used to seeing with the Wii. So what exactly is included then? In total there are 28 mini-games each using the Joy-Cons in different ways, and nearly all focusing on one-on-one competition.

In fact the game places an interesting and heavy emphasis on facing your opponent and using the television as little as possible. Instead you’re relying on sound cues or your rival’s actions. Whether it’s the sound of a ping-pong ball hitting the table or a baseball flying by or simply the pose your competitor makes in a dance off this is what you focus on. While the game can be played on the small screen of the device, the lower sound makes it tough to hear especially in crowded environments. Still on the TV offers the best way to play.

Particular mini-game highlights include “Quick Draw” where you get to live out a western standoff; the fastest to raise and fire their Joy-Con on the word “fire” declared the winner. “Fake Draw” is fairly similar with one key difference being that words close to “fire” try to catch you off guard. “Ball Count” puts the control’s HD rumble to use where players must guess how many ball bearings are rattling around inside a small box by tilting slowly. While it’s hard to envision a situation where HD rumble will be put to strong use in a full game, its nonetheless very impressive technology. “Safe Crack” has the pair of you twisting the Joy-Cons looking for sweet spots in order to nab the gold and win.

Of course like any mini-game collection, there are some duds here. “Baby” is easily the worst offender and the only game to actually use the whole device. Here you’ll need to cradle the screen in order to keep the child from balling his eyes out, rest it down gently and walk away. “Air Guitar” feels more like waving your arms like a fool than genuine rock star and “Shaver” never feels accurate enough to really get an idea of where you should be moving the Joy-Con on your face.

All in all though, the balance is strong in favour of good experiences.

While you are free to flick through and choose any of the 28 mini-games on offer, it’s the other two modes that deliver a better way to play. “Shuffle” does exactly that where the next game you play is completely random. “Team Battle” though is the real highlight, two groups fighting it out in a series of mini-games where the winners advance further along and snakes and ladders-style board. First to the finish wins. Whether you choose to have a set order, nominate the best person on your team for the job or even throw in some drinking rules there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had here with a group. In fact we ended up making up extra rules every new game we ended up playing. Obviously your mileage will vary based on the groups you manage to get involved.

And that’s really the key thing to take away from this product. How often will you have friends or family over? How likely are you to break this out with company? Single player is simply not an option and after a while these games will likely show their too-simplistic nature that they soon become trivial. Had this been a budget title or packed in with the console then this wouldn’t be an issue. The fact the game is nearly full price feels money hungry on Nintendo’s part.

1-2 Switch has a very simple aesthetic with real-life actors performing in short demonstration videos for each game. They’re over the top, cheesy and sometimes a little confusing but really add to the whole goofiness of the entire package. What could have easily been explained via basic text is given life through video.

1-2 Switch is a laugh out loud experience given the right circumstances. Grab a group who are willing to look a little silly in the name of fun along with a fridge full of booze and you have the perfect recipe for some late night multiplayer shenanigans. The £40 price tag is a very tough pill to swallow though especially for a game that pales in comparison when compared with Nintendo's other first party launch effort. This should have been a pack-in or at the very most a budget release.

6/10
Tue 14/03/17 at 14:15
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985

Ghost Killer wrote:
Had a thought last night that if this ended up selling well and lead to a sequel, the games could easily be expanded to cater for four players.

Imagine a four player standoff or dance-off.

Not saying that it would justify £40 next time necessarily either, but just a thought on how to develop the idea more as what is here definitely shows potential.


Yep, it felt half hearted really, content-wise. If you look at the Wii and Wii U Party games I could see it being more like those with some better variety of content.
Tue 14/03/17 at 14:13
Regular
"Ghosts Can't Die!"
Posts: 774
Had a thought last night that if this ended up selling well and lead to a sequel, the games could easily be expanded to cater for four players.

Imagine a four player standoff or dance-off.

Not saying that it would justify £40 next time necessarily either, but just a thought on how to develop the idea more as what is here definitely shows potential.
Tue 14/03/17 at 09:10
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985
Agreed that this should have been sold with the console. Great fun in groups, but soon got surpassed by Just Dance in my household.
Mon 13/03/17 at 23:39
Regular
"Ghosts Can't Die!"
Posts: 774
Amidst all the excitement of the Switch launch I've now managed to sink a number of hours into a good handful of its new titles. While Breath of the Wild will obviously need far more than a couple of weekends to complete Link's epic journey and Snipperclips is being put through its paces (and testing relationships) by myself and the girlfriend I did put more than enough time into Nintendo's other first party effort, 1-2 Switch.

By now you've probably heard all the comments of how the game is overpriced or that it should come bundled with the console. Valid concerns to have of course especially considering Wii Sports and Nintendoland too were packaged with their respective consoles, but surely if the quality of the experience is high enough then it doesn't matter? Is 1-2 Switch worth the price of entry?

The short answer is no. While there are plenty of neat ideas packed into 1-2 Switch they’re just short distractions that simply can’t carry a full priced product and instead offer a demonstration of what the new system can do. Think of it as a group of tech demoes if you will. You’ll be waving, flicking, dancing, pointing and making pretty much every gesture you’re used to seeing with the Wii. So what exactly is included then? In total there are 28 mini-games each using the Joy-Cons in different ways, and nearly all focusing on one-on-one competition.

In fact the game places an interesting and heavy emphasis on facing your opponent and using the television as little as possible. Instead you’re relying on sound cues or your rival’s actions. Whether it’s the sound of a ping-pong ball hitting the table or a baseball flying by or simply the pose your competitor makes in a dance off this is what you focus on. While the game can be played on the small screen of the device, the lower sound makes it tough to hear especially in crowded environments. Still on the TV offers the best way to play.

Particular mini-game highlights include “Quick Draw” where you get to live out a western standoff; the fastest to raise and fire their Joy-Con on the word “fire” declared the winner. “Fake Draw” is fairly similar with one key difference being that words close to “fire” try to catch you off guard. “Ball Count” puts the control’s HD rumble to use where players must guess how many ball bearings are rattling around inside a small box by tilting slowly. While it’s hard to envision a situation where HD rumble will be put to strong use in a full game, its nonetheless very impressive technology. “Safe Crack” has the pair of you twisting the Joy-Cons looking for sweet spots in order to nab the gold and win.

Of course like any mini-game collection, there are some duds here. “Baby” is easily the worst offender and the only game to actually use the whole device. Here you’ll need to cradle the screen in order to keep the child from balling his eyes out, rest it down gently and walk away. “Air Guitar” feels more like waving your arms like a fool than genuine rock star and “Shaver” never feels accurate enough to really get an idea of where you should be moving the Joy-Con on your face.

All in all though, the balance is strong in favour of good experiences.

While you are free to flick through and choose any of the 28 mini-games on offer, it’s the other two modes that deliver a better way to play. “Shuffle” does exactly that where the next game you play is completely random. “Team Battle” though is the real highlight, two groups fighting it out in a series of mini-games where the winners advance further along and snakes and ladders-style board. First to the finish wins. Whether you choose to have a set order, nominate the best person on your team for the job or even throw in some drinking rules there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had here with a group. In fact we ended up making up extra rules every new game we ended up playing. Obviously your mileage will vary based on the groups you manage to get involved.

And that’s really the key thing to take away from this product. How often will you have friends or family over? How likely are you to break this out with company? Single player is simply not an option and after a while these games will likely show their too-simplistic nature that they soon become trivial. Had this been a budget title or packed in with the console then this wouldn’t be an issue. The fact the game is nearly full price feels money hungry on Nintendo’s part.

1-2 Switch has a very simple aesthetic with real-life actors performing in short demonstration videos for each game. They’re over the top, cheesy and sometimes a little confusing but really add to the whole goofiness of the entire package. What could have easily been explained via basic text is given life through video.

1-2 Switch is a laugh out loud experience given the right circumstances. Grab a group who are willing to look a little silly in the name of fun along with a fridge full of booze and you have the perfect recipe for some late night multiplayer shenanigans. The £40 price tag is a very tough pill to swallow though especially for a game that pales in comparison when compared with Nintendo's other first party launch effort. This should have been a pack-in or at the very most a budget release.

6/10

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