So I’ve got this thing now. I’ve had it for a week, in fact, and not felt overly compelled to make words about it.
The funny thing about that is, this new machine hasn’t really inspired much excitement in me. Maybe it’s old age, maybe it’s because Mario Kart World isn’t anywhere near as exciting (to me) as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was, maybe it’s because Switch 2 is just a bigger, stronger Switch, but my hype levels have been fairly low. I didn’t even take launch day off. Just strolled into the mall after work like it was any other day. (I did drive by the mall the night before to scope out the midnight launch line, but there was no way I was going to stand in that line on a work night.)
Honestly, I think it’s a combination of all the factors mentioned above.
I find myself being less excited for most things these days than I used to be when I was younger. Perhaps I’ve finally learned patience? That or I’ve been keeping my mind so busy with work and other video games and hobbies that I have no mental bandwidth with which to froth with anticipation.
Mario Kart World is… well, it’s another Mario Kart. It feels pretty good to play since it’s been like a decade since I last Mario Karted, and it is a fun game. I’ve been having a good time with it, laughing and groaning and cussing as the situation dictates. The free-roam mode is chill but is packed with micro-challenges that can be surprisingly difficult. I’ve even played a few online races and been completely destroyed each and every time (and enjoyed it). But at the end of the day, it’s still just Mario Kart. It doesn’t exactly inspire any wonder within me.
As for Switch 2 just being a beefier Switch… yeah, that kinda checks out. I’ve never once been excited for a new PlayStation, even though I’ve gotten one of each number eventually. None of them have really added anything overly exciting to the console itself, other than the promise of improved visuals. And at this point in time, I really don’t care about all those graphical things that I can’t even really notice. It’s not a jump from 8-bit to 16-bit, it’s not 2D to 3D, and you can’t tell at a glance that Mario has more triangles in him than he used to. So why would I care? I like that old Switch games are getting little performance boosts when running on the more powerful hardware, but that’s like… not the point.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I’m not happy with my purchase – I most certainly am. I just think back on previous (Nintendo) console launches and how I was bouncing off the walls with anticipation for them, constantly dreaming about all the new games I’d play, and reading every scrap of news that came out. That just hasn’t happened this time. It’s been totally low-key, and I think that’s actually a good thing.
At the end of the day, I mostly just wanted to have Switch 2 on launch day because it’s tradition. And also so I can play Donkey Kong Bananza as soon as possible. Now that is a game that I am incredibly excited to play! Hurry up, July!