Switch Stuff: an ordinary fan's thoughts about Switch stuff (including impressions and mini-reviews)

Alright, time to get into predictions for Booster Course Pass.  Only two waves left until what will presumably be the end of the road for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (no pun intended). So, to start, a few hot takes for Wave 5: There will be 2 Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GCN) courses. Not the hottest of hot takes, but considering datamines have shown there will be at least 4 GCN courses included in the whole Booster Course Pass (assuming that's still the case), there's a 50-50 chance there will be 2 GCN courses in Wave 5. UPDATE: Nope. 2 courses from Wii instead, but we are getting Daisy Cruiser.  The Wii course will not be Koopa Cape.  Koopa Cape heavily features water, as do two of the courses I'm predicting for Wave 5 (including Tour's Piranha Plant Cove), and if there's one thing the Booster Course Pass has done well, it's having a decent variety of courses in each cup. So, instead, it'll be a drier, more sandy course from Mario Kart Wii ... 😉 UPDATE: Haha... ...

  Who might enter the sci-fi soccer arena next? The Second Ten A datamine of Battle League has indicated there will be (or were intended to be) a total of 20 characters. So who could make up the "Second Ten" of Mario Strikers Battle League? Next to each name will be a rating of likelihood, or how likely I think the character will appear. Let's start with the first of four "Captain" characters from Mario Strikers Charged. Daisy (5/5) [Defense] [Technique] * Bowser Jr. (4/5) [Offense] [ All-Rounder ]*** Diddy Kong (4/5) [Speed] ** Petey Piranha (3/5) [Physical] Pauline (4/5) [Technique]  [ Physical ]** Koopa Troopa (4/5) [Speed] Dry Bones (4/5) [Defense] Birdo (3/5) [Physical] [ Offense ]*** Shy Guy (2/5) [Technique]  [ All-Rounder ]* Hammer Bro (2/5) [Offense] Honorable Mentions Spike (1/5) Toadette (2/5) Boo (2/5) *EDIT 1: Daisy and Shy Guy added in version 1.1.0 update (7/21/22). **EDIT 2: Pauline and Diddy Kong added in version 1.2.0 update (September 202...

  ⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️ Samus (finally) returns to 2D! Likes The mysterious plot is a big motivator to keep advancing. The controls are solid (Samus moves nice and quick). Gradual increase in difficulty is handled nicely.  Consistently steady frame rate. A great game to play in handheld mode on the OLED Switch. Blinking areas in the map to show there's a hidden item is very helpful.* Gripes The E.M.M.I. are more a nuisance than a source of nightmare fuel. Boss battles can be rough if you're a newcomer and not properly equipped (especially Kraid).  The amount of backtracking can be a bit annoying.** Some of those speed booster puzzles are obnoxious.  Felt I needed a guide more times than I care for when it came to finding items (missile tanks, energy tanks/parts, etc.)...*** Not really a gripe, but I want a sequel right now! SCORE :  5/5 *This is especially so if you're aiming for a 100% run. **Backtracking did encourage me to find the quickest, most time-efficie...

  ⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️ A gorgeous social adventure in a gorgeous world in the clouds. Likes The story is fairly simple to understand yet filled with moving symbolism. So much to explore! Helping out and befriending other players is rewarding. Includes areas added from events taking place prior to the Switch version's release. Daily quests and seasonal events! Gripes Inconsistent framerate on high-performance mode.  The game's physics are a bit... wonky . And so is the camera at times. Microtransactions...* Some areas feel a bit too dependent on the help of other players.** SCORE :  5/5 *To be fair, the game's a free download on the eShop. So, all in all, it's worth it. ** Sky is defined as a social adventure game, so needing to open doors or complete certain quests with the help of other players comes with the territory.

As of the time I'm posting this, it's been a week after Nintendo revealed the Switch OLED Model (or Switch OLED for short). Compared to the base model, according to Nintendo's website, the Switch OLED (aka, the not-Switch-Pro) has: a built-in wired LAN port in the dock a bit more weight a 7-inch OLED screen (0.8 inches over the base model's 6.2-inch LCD screen) 64 GB storage (double that of the base model) "enhanced" audio (howso is unclear) a much wider kickstand the same amount of battery life as the base model (4.5–9 hours) ...and a $350 price tag. There's also one particular thing about the Switch OLED that stands out: both the Joy-Cons and dock are white. The latter, along with the added LAN port, is redesigned with rounder edges at each side of the top. The dock also comes in black with the other OLED set featuring the blue and red Joy-Cons.  But back to the color of the other set. Or rather, the complete lack thereof.  I'm not sure why they...

  ⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️ Cats of all shapes and sizes in a short but sweet mix of  3D World and Odyssey in Bowser's Fury .  Likes Lake Lapcat is very Odyssey -influenced. Mario's faster and less plasticky. Every island features a particular mechanic showcased in only one or two levels from 3D World.* Item storage! Bowser isn't a complete pushover in boss fights. How much Bowser Jr. helps out is all up to you. Don't call an Uber... call Plessie. Gripes The mode's a bit short. Repetitive Cat Shine levels (shards, timed challenges, etc.) are repetitive. Fury Bowser seemingly pops up too often later in the game.** Lack of basic 3D Mario moves (ledge-grabbing, backflip) make some areas a chore to navigate. Can't quickly adjust the camera towards where Mario's facing. Cat Plessie...*** SCORE : 4/5 *Reason I like this so much is that all the different mechanics are reused in one distinct world as opposed to linear levels with little in common with each other. **Th...

  ⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️ For my first Pikmin experience, this wasn't too shabby. 😎 Likes Unique style of gameplay (efficiency is king)! Forgiving for newcomers. Difficulty options. Ability to switch between gyro and pointer controls. Time-limited days and missions aren't short to the point of feeling unfair. Olimar side story is longer than expected (well worth the $60 price in my mind)!* Gripes The story's on the short side. 😕 Using pointer controls takes away the R button to reset the cursor instead of switching between Pikmin and the other crew members.  Olimar’s side story could have shown his finding of the S.S. Drake’s cosmic-drive key in a level but didn’t (missed opportunity?)... 🤔 Pointer can be finicky (which is unhelpful in Missions where time is of the essence). SCORE : 4/5 *The prologue is pretty brief (which worried me about the length of the epilogue), but the side story following the main story is rewardingly longer than expected.

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️  (Kinda, sorta, not really?) Not the remasters hoped for, but a nice bundle that finally brings classic 3D Mario to the Switch. Likes The upscaled visuals are noticeable: Galaxy looks impossibly better.  Sunshine in 1080p is so nice ...  The ol' polygonal charm of 64 gets a boost (even if just to 720p). The option to play Sunshine and Galaxy in handheld mode is just...  YES . 😇 Jump button mapped to both A and B  in all three games offers some flexibility depending on your preference. Galaxy : Spin move mapped to X and Y (handheld mode is a go-for-launch). 64 : Action moves (punch, grab, dive, etc.) mapped to X  and Y . Sunshine : Makes use of the extra shoulder buttons (compared to the GameCube controller) for FLUDD's Squirt Nozzle controls. Simple, user-friendly main menu. The soundtracks. 🎶 And, most importantly, classic 3D Mario on Switch! 🥳 Gripes Limited release for physical and digital? Really?* 🤨  Wasted opportuni...