Picola-Wicola

That first game, Barbuta, is rough as hell, and nearly put me off the whole collection. Then I spent 5 hours playing the second one, Bug Hunter. Can’t wait to discover more…

As with the original Switch, I tend not to buy games that you can’t play in handheld mode. And even though I’ve been playing more games on the tv with Switch 2 than I ever did with 1, I love traditional controls and the Pro Controller 2 is amazing for this. Mouse controls in general don’t appeal to me, so no matter how good this game may be, forced dual mouse controls is just a huge no-no for me.

@The_Nintend_Pedant now you’ve highlighted this I can’t stop rereading it and laughing!

Great review, and if I hadn’t caved and bought the Pro Controller 2 after spending the Switch 1 generation preferring 3rd party controllers, I would have considered this. But the Pro 2 is just amazing 🤩

@ParsnipHero Thank you so much for taking the time to explain that! I decided to download it, completed the training and then did a few of those bot royales that you mentioned. I still can’t quite work out what I’m meant to be doing, but the gunplay feels superb. What are weapon attachments? I’m sure I’ll get more familiar with this stuff as I play more.

I have never played this before but I am very tempted now on Switch 2. Before I clear space and initiate the humongous download, can anyone tell me if there is a steep learning curve or will I be able to ‘get into’ it with relative ease?

This looked superb! And a demo no less. Demos convinced me to buy Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, and the Shinobi game when it drops at the end of the month, they are so important in deciding if a game is for you

Been waiting on Switch impressions for Ragebound, there is not a single review anywhere on the internet of how it performs on Switch1/2. Review codes being sent out last minute is NEVER a good sign…

@Kraven have you been playing Ninja Gaiden Ragebound on Switch 2 by any chance? I’m dying to download it, but need to know what the performance is like. And despite Mr Lopez saying it’s a game of year candidate above, we still have NO REVIEW on Nintendo Life 😩

@NintendoLife - where is your Ninja Gaiden Ragebound review!? Been holding off on getting it until I see how it performs on Switch 2, and your preview got me excited so want to know your review score.

@NintendoLife - where is your Ninja Gaiden Ragebound review!? Been holding off on getting it until I see how it performs on Switch 2, and your preview got me excited so want to know your review score.

I haven’t played Portal 2 yet but was planning to soon, so glad to hear it’s fixed. PS - speaking of Portal, I just did the side mission in Cyberpunk which involved Glados, such a cool, unexpected reference.

Just please keep those damn-awful Tour courses out of MKW 🙏

@DasWunderkind NES, SNES, N64 and GameCube pads next to old-school Optimus and Megatron - NICE 👌🏻

Question: will the Switch 2 fit in this case with a grip attached (specifically the Savage Raven Neo Grip)?

Playing through Phantom Liberty right now before taking on the final mission. This game is amazing, and wonderful to play on Switch 2. Hopefully this update comes in time for me to enjoy during remaining side missions before I finish it!

I’ve been using this grip for the last two weeks - total game changer for handheld play. Yes, the little latch on top to secure it is on the face of it fiddly, but if you know this going in and don’t misplace it when you’re swapping to TV mode, it’s not an issue at all. The trigger (medium) grips are very comfortable for an FPS like Cyberpunk, feels like you’re holding a proper controller, but the smallest ones are actually awesome too, especially for Mario Kart. And so glad you mentioned the colour in the review - I have the all-black one, and it matches the console perfectly, looks and feels like it’s just part of the system when it’s secured! Great piece of kit so early in the Switch 2 lifespan.

@KevinP oh no, I’m not defending any of those things, just adding my perspective from experience. And yes, I have bought secondhand controllers, but only ever had an issue with an Xbox one that stopped working. I just took it back to CEX, who have a 5 year warranty on most of their secondhand products, and got an instant full refund. Didn’t even cross my mind to spend hours trying to work out how to open it up and fix it. Again, just my experience. PS I did laugh at the spine comment 🤣

@JohnnyMind perfectly put! The vast, vast VAST majority of people using this controller (or most other controllers) will not be looking at repairing controllers themselves. In over 3 decades of gaming I have never once dreamed of opening up a controller and trying to tinker/repair it, and I don’t know anyone IRL who has either. It’s only tech-savvy YouTubers and hardcore enthusiasts who would do this. Non-issue.

@BaldB3lper78 I’ve been on the fence on this game, mainly because I’m spending so much time on Wind Waker, MKW and Cyberpunk, but this comments section is swaying me to get it. Best game on Switch 2 you say?

One of the best things about graduating to Mario Kart World is that I no longer have to play those awful Tour courses in online races in MK8D 🤣. They were horrendously designed, you never knew which way you were supposed to be going.

I am honestly gobsmacked reading all the hate for Switch 2 in this comment section. And a lot of those comments are from people who were asking for exactly what we got before we knew the specs and details 😩. It’s been a marvellous upgrade… now I’m going back to play Mario Kart World, Cyberpunk and Wind Waker (what on earth is not to like there!?) seamless online play and an eshop that no longer not only doesn’t run like sludge, (it is quick, responsive), but again includes lots of improvements that y’all were asking for but one month ago.

35 hours, and ever since winning gold on all Grand Prix cups, all I play is Knockout Tour online races. It’s absolutely exhilarating getting into the last 4, and it is the smoothest, most seamless and lag-free online experience I have ever had on a Nintendo console. It’s like night and day compared to online MK8 races. I don’t know how other games fare with their online multiplayer modes because I have only tried MKW, but it feels like Nintendo have finally got online play spot on …

@ShieldHero It is a very nice new one. Welcome (kind of) 😛

@JohnnyMind Your new avatar throws me every time… I got so used to seeing your old one 🤣.

@CaleBoi25 I found the start a bit slow too, but once you get off the island and to the first main dungeon, it gets a lot better. I can’t say the same for the camera though - the amount of wasted time from inadvertently jumping off something at the wrong angle due to it being incredibly fiddly and inaccurate to use the right stick to change the view is infuriatingly frustrating. The camera controls have NOT aged as well as the cel-shading in WW!

@Solomon_Rambling Great point about it being a badge of honour! Although last night two hit me on the same lap in Knockout online, causing me to not even qualify for the next section. It didn’t leave me feeling very honourable… 🤣

Mario Kart World’s knockout tournament emphasises how it is most certainly a disadvantage to be in first place for most of the race! (largely due to those pesky blues, but also due to frequently only getting coins and no protection)

Another thing that makes online in Mario Kart World so much better than MK8 on Switch 1 is how slick and quick getting online and matchmaking is, and the seemingly complete absence of lag in online races. the online lag used to be that bad on Switch 1 that all too often, you would hit the player in front of you with a red shell, and they would just keep on driving as though nothing happened and you wouldn't be able to overtake them. It sucked a lot of the joy out of playing Mario Kart in online mode because items took an age to take effect and race positions would just randomly update without you seeing anyone overtake you etc due to the lag.

I have finished first twice and managed to record both with the capture button, my first I am particularly proud of: I was in third place coming up to the line, threw a forward banana to take out second place (no mean feat, hehe) and then a red shell to take out first before taking the win! Knockout online is absolutely exhilarating, trying to qualify requires different tactics to winning a standard race (it is more important early on to take out the people BEHIND you, for example), and I barely touch normal races anymore. Knockout is the way to go.

@Suketoudara Done that now, thank you 🤩. Still gotta remember to press y as a on the Home menu etc as it’s system-wide, but much easier to swap on the fly.

@Waa-Laa Agreed, this would be so useful. I have to swap the y and a buttons on a system level to have “y” to accelerate (for some reason, after years of being able to use y to accelerate in MK8, they removed this function and my muscle memory can’t deal with holding a to accelerate - and it’s so much easier to break with b when your thumb is constantly holding the y button - anyone else agree?).

@karatekid1612 🤣🤣🤣

@TwinFami ah, ok, that sounds a lot better!

I personally can’t stand screen protectors - all my family have them on their iPhones, and they always, always have these awful bubbles or some uneven creases etc on them. Ironically, they put them on to keep the screens pristine, and they end up looking truly trash. Not messing up my beautiful Switch 2 screen with some awful bubbly screen protector. Defeats the bloody purpose 🤣.

“ I do think that this game is crying out for a MK64-style on-the-spot spin - so often I want to just 180 degrees, but no, it's a slow arc…”

Holding accelerate and brake together turns you around and does a 180 so quickly!

The rumble feels amazing in Cyberpunk, really adds to the immersion. Love it.

@XenoShaun I second that thanks for the holstering weapon tip, much appreciated!

It looks and feels wonderful in handheld mode. I am absolutely loving my time with this game.

@SirLink I have a Gullikit KK3 Pro controller (in colours like an old game boy) and it’s an excellent controller, feels very slick in the hands and great build. Already paired it with my Switch 2.

@martynstuff oh cool thank you, I will redownload it, see how it looks.

Great article, especially for those of us too busy playing Mario Kart to test out our old Switch games!!! Does the original Hyrule Warriors get similar treatment to Age of Calamity? Because that’s one game I didn’t transfer over during the setup process due to how rough it plays and it’s considerable download size.

@Teksette That’s great to hear, and wow, I am in a similar boat: the Switch was my main gaming platform for the past generation too, so I have also missed out on all those AAA titles which rely on graphics and frame rates etc. I got the Mario Kart bundle on launch day, so I played that solely for the first few days (the online races are utter chaos, in the best possible way) but I picked up a physical copy of Cyberpunk late yesterday so have spent a couple of hours on that today. It feels strangely wonderful to be playing a game that looks this good on a Nintendo console doesn’t it?

What we have got with the Switch 2 is everything the naysayers and ‘Switch Pro’ complainers have been asking for…. An they’re still not happy. I despair 🤣. The screen is wonderful, and I have played Cyberpunk for a good couple of hours today in handheld mode, and that video above is not even remotely close to how it looks. It’s just not, the poster has done something weird there that no ordinary gamer will ever notice by playing Cyberpunk.

Please please no drift issues with Switch 2… but Gulikit make an excellent King Kong pro controller, already paired mine with Switch 2, so I’d be interested in what they come up with.

@Teksette so glad you got one at launch! How are you finding it so far? (The Deuce - hilarious)

@Powerballad Snap, I got one via click and collect from Argos on launch day

My only issue so far is quite often after waking the console up from sleep mode and having pressed the same button thrice, it immediately asks which user is accessing news. Very strange but not that big a deal

I was just about to boot up the Switch 2 version of this game after more than a year’s hiatus to see how it looks!

I connected my Gullikit King Kong Max 3 pro controller last night via the usb and it paired instantly. So so pleased, saves me having to buy an additional controller for a while!