The Nintendo Switch 2 Experience had us thirsty for Donkey Kong and also water

There was larger emphasis on rules and regulations outside the Switch 2 Experience venue than inside. As I walked into the Television City parking lot, I had to show my ID twice and the QR code Nintendo sent me at least seven times in the weeks after I got picked to attend the event just to get to the front door. Once I was inside, nobody working the various game booths seemed to care about whether someone stayed past their allotted time. I guess that’s how I ended up getting an extra hour of gameplay after everyone else in my group left.

To be frank, I didn’t need to stay for that extra hour. I’d done my time with all the new games on display at the Experience right off the bat and spent the remainder of my time trying to find something that’d spark a sense of joy, the type of euphoria that’d made me think, “OMG, I have to get this right now. To hell with all my Switch games. I’m Switch 2 now, baby!” It’s the type of excitement that flowed through my veins back in 2017 when I went to the original Nintendo Switch Experience. That event didn’t have as many hoops to jump through; you just had to arrive before a certain time. At that showcase, I got to play Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Snipperclips, and 1-2-Switch. Something old, something new, something sequel, and the demo for Breath of the Wild made my balls blue. Walking out of that Experience reinvigorated my love of the medium. Walking out of the Switch 2 Experience didn’t have quite the same effect.

LIVE FROM TELEVISION CITY

Make no mistake, I’m glad I made the 10-hour round trip to L.A. to try it out. Even if I haven’t thought about games journalism since quitting Destructoid, and I’m falling so far behind with gaming news that I have no idea what’s going on—did y’all know there is a Minecraft movie?!—there is still a part of me that enjoys industry events like this. And not just for the event swag that I’m currently throwing up on the eBay. It’s exciting to be excited about something, particularly at this moment in time. Shit sucks all around us, so having anything joyful to focus on, even if it’s just an expensive trinket, is a godsend.

That’s why I went. It’s been a rough year and I wanted to have one day where I could let my inner consumerism flag fly as I gawked at a new electronic doo-dad. Sure, it would never fill the gaping hole inside me, but dammit, it was nice to pretend that it could. So I made the drive, showed my driver’s license and QR code to a half a dozen people, and walked into a converted soundstage to get my hands on something I already knew I was going to buy.

The device itself is quite nice. The first portion of the Experience allowed everyone to get some hands-on time with a Switch 2. My group, red group (GO TEAM RED), was escorted in to this opening section as we waited for our turn with Mario Kart World, the first game anyone attending the event would play. In terms of form factor, the Switch 2 is just a bigger Switch, and while that may make the device less portable than its predecessor, bigger is better in this case. The new Joy-Con controllers felt better in my fat American hands than my originals do. The sticks were also noticeably improved, so much so that I won’t immediately replace them with a superior “Pro” Joy-Con alternatives from Hori. The magnetic attachments worked well and I hope they continue to do for the life of the console. The kickstand is a nice compromise between the wispy OG Switch kickstand and the behemoth you find on the OLED model. Perhaps my favorite design choice, and what I consider a correction from the Switch, is Nintendo put the notch you use to open the game card slot on the bottom of the cover rather than on the top. To quote Rachel McAdams from the movie About Time, “It’s about time!”

Overall, it’s a well put together piece of hardware. It felt more solid in my hands than my current Switch does, less like a toy and more like a premium piece of hardware. I just wish I got to go hands on with it more than I was able to, particularly to gauge its screen quality.

YES, I DID RACE AS THE COW

Now, I play my Switch in docked mode about 70% of the time. Before, when I had my OG Switch model, it was closer to 95%. That original LCD just didn’t work for me when every other device in my house had a superior screen. The upgrade to the OLED model convinced me to take it out of the dock more often. I was hoping to get more time with the Switch 2 in handheld mode, but all of the games at the event were docked. Other previews have pointed to it being far superior to the original Switch screen if not quite as radiant as the OLED. Unless there was a demo I missed that made extensive use of handheld mode, the only game station that let us see how the Switch 2 plays on the go was Mario Kart World.

For this demo, my group was split into pairs and shuffled off to flat screens where we’d participate in a few races before coming back together for the Knockout Tour. Our first race was played with the Joy-Con grip controller in docked mode, the second on a Switch in handheld mode, and the final race and Knockout Tour would be back on the big screen. For whatever brief time I had actually playing a game on the device itself, I would agree the screen is quite lovely. Colors pop and the world of Mario Kart World was bright and vibrant even if the art direction doesn’t meet the benchmark set by Mario Kart 8.

The game itself was expectedly fun. I won two out of the three races against my partner and the field of 22 computer controlled characters. Twenty-four racers do make things more chaotic—especially when playing the Knockout Tour—and courses have been designed with this mass of competitors in mind. Which is to say, the tracks are pretty wide and forgiving. The tracks also hold clear influence from past Mario Kart courses as I saw not-so-subtle nods to “Mushroom Bridge,” “Shy Guy Bazaar,” and “Moo Moo Meadows.” Despite the tracks being as wide as they are, they’re no less busy than they’ve been in the past. Hazards are abound, and with so many racers armed with devastating weapons, I experienced moments during the demo that nearly matched the madcap chaos of “Baby Park” on GameCube.

KNOCKOUT TOUR IS A KNOCKOUT

I didn’t get enough time to try out everything it had to offer, but I will say the glimpse I got at the open world does tickle my curiosity. Whether or not Nintendo manages to fill the world with as many events, activities, and secrets as your average Forza Horizon title remains to be seen, but I will say one of the additions made to the Mario Kart formula, grinding rails, didn’t really work for me. Maybe I just didn’t get to experience it on the right tracks, but as of right now it feels like an afterthought compared to how well the anti-gravity sections of its predecessor were embedded into the heart of each track’s design.

As for Knockout Tour, this is a brilliant mode where players race on a few interconnected tracks spread across the world. At the end of each leg of the race, the bottom few racers are eliminated. Sure to be a hit with online play, I disappointingly came in 9th place after the racer behind me, a dolphin from Super Mario World, managed a well-timed slipstream right at the end of a leg. Pretty embarrassing for someone who’s been playing Mario Kart for 30 years, made all the more embarrassing by the event staffer standing by telling me to not be embarrassed.

From my brief time with the demo, I can’t tell you if it’ll be worth the $80 Nintendo is asking…except that I can and it will. If you’re the type of player who knows they’re going to play Mario Kart World for the life of your Switch 2, I figure $80 one time is a better investment than some other titles that ask you to buy $70 versions every year. Sure, it sucks that Nintendo is putting the squeeze on its consumer base like this, and I fully support anyone who boycotts the game because of it, but in terms of dollars spent versus time played, if you’re really into Mario Kart, I don’t see why not. In the same way people who are really into Assassin’s Creed probably bought the $90 deluxe edition. I wonder if Mat Piscatella has numbers on that SKU…

DONKEY KONG BANANZA IS QUITE PUNCHY

After Mario Kart World, we were free to play whatever games we wanted. Not caring all that much for the Switch 2 ports, I stuck with the new titles. Donkey Kong Bananza was my first target and arguably the game I was most looking forward to. While these demos never last long enough to generate a well-rounded opinion on a title, I will say Bananza was something of a treat. The controls took a bit to get used to—you use A to jump while B, Y, and X make DK punch down, forward, and up respectively—but it wasn’t long before I was destroying everything I could to get all those banana chips or whatever the hell I was collecting. 

Again, short demo, no time to explain. In fact, the staff member covering the station didn’t even bother explaining that DK can climb anything, can roll, and can ride rocks he picks up like a surfboard if you hit the roll button when carrying something. They did, thankfully, point out that there was more to the post-tutorial stage than the linear section I completed, so with the last few minutes of my demo, I went everywhere I could and discovered hidden areas, mini-games reminiscent to those from the Donkey Kong Country series, and a barrel blasting secret that I couldn’t actually finish within the allotted time. Sad, but that’s just part of the experience of this Experience.

I CAN’T REMEMBER IF THE LAST METROID IS STILL IN CAPTIVITY OR NOT

Following Bananza, I made my way over to the section with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. While I am convinced there is no way this game will ever meet whatever internal expectations I have for it given its ridiculously long development cycle, it certainly reminded me why I cherish this sub-series so much. The demo gave me access to a short section, likely the final game’s tutorial, that saw Samus making her way through an active war zone complete with mechs and space pirates. All the demo stations for the game gave players an option: hold the Joy-Con controllers separately and play like you would any other console game, or use the new mouse mode. Both have their advantages and while I’m sure I’ll get better with mouse control aiming after I put some time into it, it was difficult to get used to mouse mode when I was still expected to use the A,B,X,Y buttons on the Joy-Con. I hope the final game has customizable buttons because I’d move a few of those controls over to other Joy-Con, the one I use to control Samus’s movement and jumping, right off the bat.

The best showcase at the Experience for the mouse mode was the most obvious game. Civilization VII is not a great title to demo because, with the long load times, you don’t get to do that much before it’s telling you “Thanks for Playing.” However, it was a crackerjack of a demonstration of how PC “Dad Games” like Civilization, Tropico, Anno, and Age of Mythologies could thrive on Switch 2. Sure, they won’t look anywhere near as good as they do on your souped-up PC that has, uh, whatever it is that PCs run on. I don’t know I have a MacBook with an M1 and that’s as far as my computer knowledge goes. It will also be the premier way to play the potential rerelease of Mario Paint on Nintendo Switch Online and whatever Nintendo is possibly cooking up in is Maker series.

IT’S GIVING METROID PRIME BLAST BALL

The only game at the event to require the mouse mode was Drag x Drive, the 3-on-3 basketball game. Here, you use each Joy-Con as you would your hands controlling the wheels on a wheelchair. Push both Joy-Con forward to go forward, pull them back to go in reverse. Push just one Joy-Con and your character will spin. It’s a neat concept and the technology works, but it can be unforgiving. If you fail to lift your Joy-Con after you push or pull, it’ll fuck up your flow. Even with the extensive tutorial everyone played before getting into their first match, the requirements of the game proved too much for some players and I watched numerous people simply get up and walk away from it. Everyone who did tap out was admittedly older, or at least older than my 40-year-old ass, but their refusal to give the game a shot did point out a potential problem with the Switch 2.

While you can argue Mario Kart World fills this role, there really isn’t a simple, pick-up-and-play game launching alongside the Switch 2. No, I did not play Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour because even with my extra hour I knew it wasn’t worth my time, but this console is launching without an evergreen title that can appeal to all ages. There is no 1-2-Switch, no Nintendo Land, no Wii Sports, not even a Face Raiders. Sure, the quality of those games varies, but it feels weird to not have one casual title hardcore Nintendo fans scoff at. Maybe I missed out by not playing Welcome Tour and this is a lousier Switch 2 Experience recap because of it, but in terms of giving players an easy, instantly intuitive, “blue ocean” game to launch with, there’s nothing. The closest thing Nintendo has is the new camera-centric mini-games of Super Mario Party Jamboree.

I HAVE NO MOUTH & I MUST SCREAM

Speaking of that abomination, let me take a second to complain. I was pulled into playing Jamboree because people were avoiding that section of the event. Probably because for the full two hours they were there, they were haunted by the shrieking cries of attendees playing these new mini -games. And what bullshit these games are.

Jamboree was the only game at the Experience to use the new Switch 2 Camera. It was also the only game that had people screaming like idiots. The camera worked well enough tracking my body movement and I’m sure it’ll be fun at parties. However, even in this demo, I got a taste of that classic Mario Party bullshit. After my partner and I handedly defeated the other team in the first two games that focused on body control, the third game, which challenged us to make as much noise and movement as possible, tipped the scales in favor of our opponents. Even though our opponents barely moved and only slightly raised their voices while my partner and I were jumping around and screaming like we were giving the world’s most offensive auditions for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Side note: a game that asks you to scream as loud as you can is the vocal equivalent of the “Tug o’ War” hand blister. Don’t put that in your game and definitely don’t demo it at public event where everyone is breathing on one another. It ain’t good on the throat is what I’m saying.

HELL IS ABSOLUTE HEAVEN

As I entered my third hour at the Switch 2 Experience, the Hades II area started calling out to me. The game looks and plays brilliantly—especially with the new Switch 2 Pro Controller, possibly the best classic controller Nintendo has produced. Melinoë and her Witch’s Staff are a righteous combination, far more fun out the gate than dumb hot Zag and his dumb big sword. Plus, the gifts from the Gods are incredible. I remember Poseidon gifting me a water attack that drew me closer and closer to the screen each time I used it, its liquid goodness taking out the ghosts, spirits, and monsters. As I continued my dungeon run, enhancing Poseidon’s gift, my mind became obsessed with it. “Water, water, water,” was the only thought I was capable of as my muscle memory from Hades took over the actual playing of the game.

It was then I realized I hadn’t had anything to drink in six hours and was severely dehydrated.

Anyway, I’m sure those who’ve played the Early Access version will gush about the greatness of Hades II, but it’s clear we’re getting another amazing adventure through the underworld with this one. And like with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, I see no need to wait for a Switch 2 unless the Switch version is unplayable dreck. Somehow I don’t see Supergiant fucking over the console most people won’t be able to upgrade from given the cost of the Switch 2, tariffs, looming recession, and whatnot.

TRAINING FOR THE BALLET, POTTER?

The final game I played was Hogwarts Legacy. I haven’t bothered with this one up to now because J.K. Rowling is a trash person who put a giant asterisk on any enjoyment I get out of watching the Harry Potter movies. That said, I’ve been curious. The game does look good, graphically and artistically, so maybe I was missing out of an exquisite experience because of my lousy morals.

Nope. I’m not sure what the point of the demo was, but if it was to sell me on the game, it failed. Maybe the combat gets interesting after 10 to 20 hours of playtime, but I was mostly bored with it. And the flying wasn’t any better.

Perhaps I should have spent that time playing through Welcome Tour. Or, I should have canvassed the event better to find the M for Mature section hidden around the corner. There I found televisions set up with Cyberpunk 2077 and Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut. If I wasn’t so delirious from a lack of sustenance, I would have made it a 4-hour experience.

TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

As I left Television City and dehydratedly fumbled my way through a conversation about the event with the clerk at World Market, I thought back to my time at the vanilla Switch Experience and how caught up in the excitement I was. It could be that I was just an idiot 33-year-old at the time—practically a kid—but I had a brighter outlook on my gaming future following that even than I did this one.

Maybe it was the proliferation of ports. Maybe it was because the novelty of the Switch is gone. Maybe it was the lack of Silksong. Or maybe I’m just a sad, cynical sack of shit who’s so deep in depression that he can’t experience honest joy anymore. Because as I walked away, I didn’t really feel like I had any fun.

In hindsight, that was likely just my dangerously overheated and parched brain starting to short circuit. Because two days on, I can say with a clear, cool mind that I did have a hoot at the Switch 2 Experience. Even if it took me a day or two to fully appreciate it (which is why I should never be allowed to review games with a tight embargo again). And more important than that, other people at the event were clearly enjoying themselves. Whether it was the dad of three wrangling his kids back and forth between Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Split Fiction or the multiple people who brought camera equipment to film themselves playing for their YouTubes and TikToks, much fun was had that hot April afternoon. Especially the young kids who walked around with wide grins every time I saw them. This event was really for them. For me, it was a chance to try a few future must-have titles, even if I’m not going to bother waiting to buy a Switch 2 to play all of them. 

NEEDED MORE TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 3+4

Much like the Hogwarts Legacy demo, the Switch 2 Experience didn’t do much to sell me on buying a console at launch. It’s undoubtedly a well-made machine and I will get one eventually, along with Donkey Kong Bananza and Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion (wish they had that game to demo). I probably won’t even wait for the inevitable $550 OLED model to do so. But with a bountiful backlog, upcoming titles like Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, I’m in no rush. And nothing at the Switch 2 Experience was extraordinary enough to change my mind about that.