A storm is upon us. I'm writing this in January, we have a date with Nintendo to meet the Nintendo Switch 2. Meanwhile, this makes me think more and more about what happened back in 2017. One hour on stage, Nintendo showed that they didn't come out hurt from the Wii U era, but stronger. Tatsumi Kimishima started everything that day, and nothing has been the same since then.
First, the former president put away things like the price and the new Nintendo Switch Online, just like taking away a bureaucratic process. And then Yoshiaki Koizumi came to us.
We took a look at the new controls, the joycons, and with that we saw the buttons, the different ways to use them, and much more stuff, like the infrared sensor and the new vibration system. Say what you want now about the HD vibration, but in that moment we went nuts. I also think it's a feature that we don't appreciate enough because we just take it for granted. Many games use it and we don't realize, we just think that well, it's another vibration more. Meanwhile, features like this have been evolving through the years. Anyway, what matters here is that we will always remember the ices. Thank you, Mr. Koizumi.
After such initial shock, the first game was coming. In the form of a western movie, they prepared us for a game that was intended to define the gimmick of the console, alongside with the charismatic sound to present it. 1-2 Switch was a party game, more than Wii Sports or Nintendoland ever were, just maybe it wasn't that good. Filled with weird stuff, but mostly entertaining and trying to innovate using the joycon features. Sadly, it wasn't a huge success, but everyone remembers it and those who tried they had fun for sure, that's more than most games can say.
Another surprise was coming. Nintendo creating a new brand fighting game, but they had to do it in their own terms. On one hand, this was a way to showcase how the motion control has evolved, and on the other hand, this was an attempt to create a competitive fighting game. ARMS, just like that, says it all but at the same time makes you wonder why nobody else did it before. Maybe because it is something that only Nintendo understands: being playful with creative ideas, and make them a proper reality.
ARMS has an amazing visual style, a roster in which each fighter is unique, and a good bunch of different arms that you can combine before every fight. The game itself was too much focused in the online side, since a one single player only could play the grand prix (history mode/arcade) and a minigame to unlock more arms. It was well received and desmite not becoming a huge franchise, like Splatoon did, Nintendo usually gives a second chance to games like this. The presentation, by the way, was outstanding.
Then we approached a expected sequel of one of the hottests franchises Nintendo has ever done. Splatoon 2, with the confidence of a new boss in the building, was one of the most awaited titles of the evening.
But oh boy. Little we knew, we were about to going crazy. Looking at a strange city, coming out from the underground by jumping like only he knows to do, here he was. Mario made a masterful appearance to show off the new Super Mario Odyssey. Big, weird and unique levels, one of the most beautiful visuals we have ever seen, and the new thing: Cappy.
Now Mario had to rescue the princess with the help of a new and alive hat. With its help, now we were able to transform into other creatures from those new worlds, and therefore we would experience new ways to play while being our favorite plumber. What more can I say, the world stopped for a moment, and the platform genre would know, once again, a new peak.
Alongside such very japanese game, they took the opportunity to bring interesting games that approached a similar audience. Fire Emblems Warriors, a few Dragon Quest, the new Shin Megami Tensei, and a nice surprise that also would change the landscale this last generation.
Octopath Traveler brought with it a new graphic style, the HD-2D, a new art style to bring back the old school JRPG spirit. Many games have done a similar thing since then, and Octopath has become an established franchise for Square Enix.
With so much exciting info going on already in our heads, it is safe to say we needed a rest. And we got it in a form of info that didn't mean almost anything. Sega and EA said they would support the console, Todd Howard said Skyrim lives forever, and we were said that Travis Strikes Again, but bot how or when, and it turned out that it was just a spin off received with not much entusiasm.
Almost wrapping up, a last reminder of what we would get at launch with the console. Honestly, in that moment this felt like watching the most exciting moment of our lives. The most Nintendo console ever, a day that would change everything. And that's what it was.
The last thing. Nintendo mastered this "one more thing" with the Nintendo Direct format, and here we were, waiting for the game that would bring together the gaming world in 2017.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The three most important public faces in those days, Reggie Fils Aimé, Miyamoto and Aonuma, gathered around to present the launch of the new Zelda, after many years of trailers and info, and we weren't even ready.
The trailer for Breath of the Wild was the icing on the cake, revealing that both new system and new game would come to us the same day, that historical date: March 3, 2017.
History was made in January 12 (13 in Japan), and months later the Nintendo Switch would settle a new life for millions of gamers around the world, and for a company that from Kyoto to the world, has made millions of lives happier.
