Nintendo Switch Sports (Switch)
By: Nintendo
DESPITE ruling the 80s and 90s with an iron fist, the writing was on the wall for Nintendo by the early noughties. The old enemy, Sega, may have exited stage left, but the Mario kings were now playing nag in a three-horse race with Sony and Microsoft.
Having suffered swings-and-misses with both the N64 and Gamecube, the company ripped up the rulebook for their Wii, targeting a market games had never dared to tread – women and adults.
The result was miraculous: despite being underpowered, the Wii went on to become one of the best-selling consoles ever. Its secret sauce was a motion controller, letting luddites ditch the joypad and simply swing and waggle their way to victory.
And the title that cemented its dominance, Wii Sports, would go on to become Nintendo's best-selling game, trouncing even Mario and Pokemon. Not only were mum and dad getting off the couch, but care homes were ringing to the sound of bowls as granny got her game on too.
Sixteen years on,and those Wiis are long buried in dusty boxes, making Nintendo Switch Sports a timely treat for today's geriatrics. A sequel that fans have been crying out for, Nintendo Switch Sports once again provides all-new ways to exert your wrist in your bedroom.
Boasting serious nostalgia for the Wii era, its spring morn campus features charming new avatars engaging in sports stripped back to their essence. Bringing six events to the table, classics like bowling and tennis are joined by chanbara (that's sword-fighting to you) football, badminton and volleyball, with golf being teed up as an autumn addition.
Tennis plays out how you'd expect, though it's eclipsed by badminton, where you grip the Joy-Con and engage in thrilling rallies. Volleyball is all about the timing as you swipe to serve, bump, set, and spike the ball while bowling will slap a grin on fans of the legendary original, though improved motion controls will have experts landing strikes like The Dude.
Chanbara is about as close as the game comes to violence as you balance attacks, parries and defence work.
The star of the show, however, is football. Taking its cue from Rocket League, with barriers that keep a giant, slow ball in play, it's incredible craic for up to four players.
Victory comes from management of your dash meter while a penalty shoot-out mode has gamers strapping the controller to their leg.
Online play is a given, though there are already complaints that offensive names and avatars are spoiling the family fun as cherub-cheeked angels find themselves on the end of a devastating rally from Adolf Hitler and the like.
While undoubtedly a shallow prospect, if Nintendo can keep drip-feeding us new events, this could be the game that defines the Switch in its twilight years. Even with its paltry out-of-the-box offering, Sports is a must for anyone blessed with enough floor space and the mobility to fling their limbs about.
