Nintendo Switch 2

[DavidB6937]

Good summary of today's Direct:

https://www.eurogamer.net/everything-announced-in-todays-nintendo-direct-partner-showcase

[JLM]

Hela looks absolutely delightful. 

[RedTwoster]

I don’t know how many of you watched the Direct live, but  a bizarrly long amount of time was given to Chillin' by the Fire. It was a very strange Direct, and it still feels like the Switch 2 is lacking significant game announcements

[RedTwoster]

I’m loving my Switch 2, and Pokémon Legends ZA has been great fun so far. But I’m also loving Trails in the Sky, Bananza, Mario Kart World and pretty much everything else I’ve bought so far.

I’m not sure how smart it is to make friend codes public, but if you want to exchange them and potentially grab an online game some time, feel free to DM me. 

[Arch Stanton]

My nephew is getting a Switch for Christmas, he's only five but already Mario and Pokémon mad (he loves the characters, not the games yet). Are there any games, from those franchises or any other, that are particularly good for such young kids? He's not had a console before, but does play games on his tablet, so he's not a total noob to gaming. I reckon he could pick up stuff aimed at ages a little bit higher.

[RedTwoster]

15 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said:

My nephew is getting a Switch for Christmas, he's only five but already Mario and Pokémon mad (he loves the characters, not the games yet). Are there any games, from those franchises or any other, that are particularly good for such young kids? He's not had a console before, but does play games on his tablet, so he's not a total noob to gaming. I reckon he could pick up stuff aimed at ages a little bit higher.

Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu is an excellent starting point for the series. It’s a remake of the first games, integrating Pokémon Go functions. New Pokémon Snap is also quite a straightforward one - you’re taking photos of Pokémon rather than catching them, which may or may not appeal to him. 

Super Mario Odyssey is a decent enough starting point, but I know that kids often find the 2D games more straightforward - New Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Wonder or Mario Maker 2 are solid options as far as 2D games go.

Mario Maker 2 contains a fun campaign and also the ability to create your own levels, which sets it apart from the other two. It’s not something that interests me, but if I were 5, it would probably blow my mind.

The Super Mario Galaxy 1&2 double pack gives him two of the best games ever at a good price, although 2 can be challenging at times. They’re great fun, though.

Mario Kart 8 is also worth considering, if he likes racing, and Super Mario Party Jamboree is packed with party games that he could play with family on Christmas Day.

I’m probably telling you things you already know, so let’s go on to the less well-known stuff.

Scribblenauts Mega Pack

Super Scribblenauts, and a DC superheroes add-on is what you get here, although this is one that requires your nephew to have decent reading and writing ability. If he does, or has help from an adult, he’ll love this - my daughter certainly does. You solve simple puzzles by typing in the name of objects and seeing what happens. There are multiple solutions, and you can solve them in really daft ways that can be genuinely funny. 

Disney Illusion Island

This is a great option for a young gamer. It’s a 2D platformer - a decent one at that - with a focus on combat-free exploration, meaning the challenge is dramatically reduced. It also has co-op play for up to 4 players, if he ever has pals around or wants to play with his folks. 

New Super Lucky’s Tale

A 3D collection platformer that reminds me very much of the kind of games you’d play in the N64 era. It’s not enormously challenging and is very kid-friendly - and is a lot of fun too, I actually really enjoyed this one myself.

Tinykin

I’m not certain that this is available in physical form, but if he’s getting games from the e-shop, this is a really strong option. Like Illusion Island, it’s combat-free, and it’s a Pikmin-inspired platformer where you explore a house and use your Tinykin to help you do that. It’s absolutely fantastic, and I’m sure he’d love it.

 Untitled Goose Game

You’re a mischievous goose, and you go around doing mischievous goose things. It also has co-op, if you want to make mischief together. My daughter finds this hilarious, and it’s available in a physical version as well as a download. It’s great fun.

There are plenty of other good options too - the Kirby games and Animal Crossing, for example. Yoshi’s Crafted World is a very good introduction to platforming too. If nothing here seems like his kind of thing let me know and I’ll happily suggest some more!

[Arch Stanton]

Ah, thanks for going to all that effort @RedTwoster! I will do research into some of those options! 

[RedTwoster]

21 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said:

Ah, thanks for going to all that effort @RedTwoster! I will do research into some of those options! 

No problem at all. I’d help anyone on here, but the fact you’re a genuinely brilliant human being means I’m even more happy to help. If you need any further recommendations or have any questions at all about any of these, feel free to give me a shout. 

[Daaaaaad!]

44 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

You’re a mischievous goose, and you go around doing mischievous goose things. It also has co-op, if you want to make mischief together. My daughter finds this hilarious, and it’s available in a physical version as well as a download. It’s great fun.

Just to double up on this - my 4 and 8 year old play this together and they just giggle their heads off at it. Some excellent recommendations by @RedTwoster here no doubt but this one offers so much enjoyment for a really small price, depending on how you purchase.

[Arch Stanton]

I've actually got Untitled Goose Game yet it didn't even ever my mind! 

[The Curious Orange]

Lego Marvel Super Heroes might be a good one too - gameplay is simple but fun, characters never really die just respawn and you can play co op too.

Yoshi's Crafted World is another with co op and is designed for younger players.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has plenty of assists that can be switched on if needed.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a great game too but they possibly might need to be a couple of years older to fully get the most out of that one - though they might like playing as the waddle dee in co op mode whilst someone else plays as the main.

[RedTwoster]

27 minutes ago, The Curious Orange said:

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a great game too but they possibly might need to be a couple of years older to fully get the most out of that one - though they might like playing as the waddle dee in co op mode whilst someone else plays as the main.

Kirby Star Allies is a good option. It features co-op, and your allies can be played by friends or AI. It’s really good fun, especially with friends and it’s also quite easy so a chilled experience when it comes to completing it. It’s the game that made me fall in love with the Kirby franchise, and it’s mainly about having fun, which this game provides in bucketloads. 

As @The Curious Orange says, Forgotten Land is a very good game; and while it’s definitely one of the more challenging Kirby titles, the novelty of being able to transform into a wide range of daft object would probably really appeal to a child that young. 

[Chest Rockwell]

14 hours ago, Arch Stanton said:

My nephew is getting a Switch for Christmas, he's only five but already Mario and Pokémon mad (he loves the characters, not the games yet). Are there any games, from those franchises or any other, that are particularly good for such young kids? He's not had a console before, but does play games on his tablet, so he's not a total noob to gaming. I reckon he could pick up stuff aimed at ages a little bit higher.

My son is five. His favourite game on the Switch is Asterix and Obelix Slap them All. It's a fun beat em up, but he is familiar with the books and has watched the recent adaptation on Netflix so he knows and likes the characters.

He also plays Mario Kart which is great because of the adaptable assistance features. He likes Mario Party a lot as well, and Goose Game. 

[RedTwoster]

Nintendo has released a new Nintendo Store app which has a feature showing you how much time you’ve spent playing each game dating as far back as the 3DS era. From the Switch onwards, it goes as far as to tell you how long you were playing certain games in specific days. The different between how much time I spent gaming before and after having a child is pretty staggering. I knew it had dropped, but I didn’t realise by how much (or how much I’d been playing video games before I had a child!)

[The King Of Swing]

Mostly because I have poor impulse control, but I finally bit the bullet and ordered a Switch 2. Should arrive later today. 

Haven't bothered with any games yet. So I'll probably just be replaying some Xenoblade, until something catches my eye.