TheSwitch 2is coming pretty soon!Theoretically, at least! When we first got a glimpse of the system earlier this year, our combined reactions were basically, ‘I wonder how much it’ll cost!’ and ‘I wonder what games it’ll have!’. Butthree months ago was somehow an entirely different era of world historyfrom the present and now our combined reactions are, ‘I wonder if it’ll cost far more than they said it would!’ and ‘I wonder if any companies will survive to make games for it!’.
But, regardless, it’s definitely, absolutely coming out in some form, probably. And if it’s going to succeed - and I mean succeed for me and me alone - it’s going to need to get weird. Like Odama forGameCubeweird. In fact, while we’re talking about it, Odama should be a day one GameCube title for Switch 2. It won’t be! But it should!
Odama: Nintendo’s Weirdest Ever Experiment
If you’re not familiar with Odama - and why would you be? - it’s a game from 2006 that mixes real-time strategy with pinball and voice commands. Oh, and it’s set in feudal Japan. We used to like that in games, but I’m not sure if we do anymore? It seems tojust make people online mad for YouTube content purposes? If you’re the type of video game fan who getsvery, veryupset about historical inaccuraciesin games set in feudal Japan, I hate to tell you that they did not have massive concrete pinball paddles hitting building-sized cannonballs at samurai. Unfortunately, this game came out nearly twenty years ago, so there isn’t a Steam review to bomb at the moment. But, if you’re able to look past that, Odama is a pretty, pretty great game.
Okay, I’ll be honest: Odama isn’t great. It’s fine. But itisweird, and what makes it interesting is justhowweird it is. You’re playing pinball while shouting voice commands at troops to move around the level - whether that be to open flood gates, pick up objects, or just press forward towards the goal. This last part is especially important because you have to scream, “PRESS FORWARD!” into the GameCube mic again and again and again while your constantly-dying troops tell you to screw off.
The game is a giant mess, but that mess is so much fun. Even for the GameCube era, this game made little to no sense. Hell, I’d argue that with indie games throwing every genre into a blender, it would actually dobetternow than before. Which wasn’t good. It did not sell super well.
So then why am I talking about it? Because I mostly care about myself and it’s the exact type of game that I want to see on aNintendoconsole. Whenever a new Nintendo console comes out, the first one or two years are where we get the really strange stuff. The games that somehow both blow your mind and make you wonder if you wasted your money.
Nintendo Should Have Stayed Weird
1-2-Switchmight not be the most beloved game on the Nintendo Switch, butit wentfull weirdand has sold millions of copies. Seems like a success! There’s literally a mini game in 1-2-Switch where you have to rock a baby to sleep. That’s the level of strange I want to see at play. And, honestly, games like Odama, or Seaman, or really anything involving Yoot Saito are exactly what would make me more excited for the console. I’m looking forward to it, make no mistake, but if we’re filling out the launch with upgrades and ports, we might as well go whole hog.
Side note, and this is just a tangent, I wish Nintendo always stayed weird with their consoles. It’s kinda easy to forget how experimental some games were early on in the Nintendo DS’ lifecycle. Remember Electroplankton? That weird music game (app?) was published by Nintendo! Not everything needs to be an experiment in play and joy, but I’d love to see more of ‘em. And throughout the life of the Switch 2, not just the beginning. One of my big worries is that we’ll getten games that use mouse supportand then watch games using the feature disappear into the mists like Labo. I’m not certain it’s going to happen, but I amconcernedit’s going to happen. We sure stopped doing much with the HD rumble on Switch and that wasincredible.
Look, I get that what will really sell the Switch 2 isMario and his various Karts. I understand that market forces will probably play a bigger role in the success of the console than whether or not it allows me to use the microphone in dumb ways. But the weird, experimental material is always what made Nintendo great. It’s where they started. They’re a toy company that came up with some truly bonkers ideas and then applied those to their games. Without the weird swings, we don’t get the games that became hits. We don’t getPikminorWii SportsorWarioWare. Because, when those first came out, they were odd and weird and exciting.
If I’m going to put down $450 - or more - for a new console, I want it to be more than the way I play one company’s first party games. Even if I love that first party with all my heart, I kinda want a bit more. I have aSteam Deckand PC games have been deep diving into the weird pool for years now. But Nintendo isverygood at making - and publishing - strange stuff. So let’s hope they keep at it. These might not be their leading titles, they might not be the biggest sellers at Christmas, but they don’t have to be. They just have to be using that new Switch 2 controller microphone to tell my troops to move to the right so a giant pinball doesn’t crush them to death.
