Nintendo Switch
For the first time since I started covering games in any semi-professional fashion, a new console is out from Nintendo. The Switch promises to be the first truly convertible next-gen console, functioning as both the switch tablet with attacked joy con controllers, and docked as a full-fledged home console experience. It will be hard to find for the first few months i'm sure, and the pricing for accessories seems to be not ideal, but I am very excited and ready for a new Nintendo console when it hits store shelves on March 3rd.
Zelda Breath of the Wild
The game that myself and many Nintendo have been waiting literally years to get our hands on is finally here this week. Review embargoes are still out, but early impressions are varied and positive. Haven’t had a chance to get my hands on it myself (expect a review here in the coming weeks), but from footage and impressions it seems to have everything I've been wanting from Zelda going back to the SNES era. The freedom of an open world, rewarding levels of difficulty, and a more forward-thinking game that moves the needle forward on Nintendo design without losing the classic Zelda charm are all to be had at Switch launch on March 3rd, for the Wii U and Switch. Hold my calls, I will be in Hyrule until further notice.
1-2-Switch
There has been a lot of talk about how this game could be not a great value proposition and has the trappings of a game that should be a pack-in for the console, and to that I have to say, I completely agree. That being said, it looks like the most approachable use of the new technology, and something that could be a lot of fun, both for party game situations where one might play Jackbox Party Pack, and just as much like a fun and approachable multiplayer game for kids and families. The $50 price tag continues to leave a bad taste in my mouth for a mini-game collection, but I think it will be a must-have for anyone wanting fun and approachable multiplayer on the Switch. 1-2-Switch will be available exclusively on the Switch on the March 3rd launch date.
Snipperclips
This one is coming in relatively hot, as its status as a launch game was only recently revealed. The first of what is going to be a serious catalog of indie games coming to the Switch in 2017, Snipperclips is a cooperative puzzle game with a paper-craft aesthetic. You control a paper character able to ‘snip’ pieces off of yourself, your friends, and the environment, and use this ability to save a multitude of puzzles.
Expect more Switch coverage on the site going forward this month. Keep your eyes open for a console review, a Zelda Breath of the Wild review, and some other launch window coverage. But! Swtich games aren't the only titles coming out in March worth having, check out some of the other platform releases.
Nier: Automata
A follow up to the less-than-popular 2010 action rpg Nier, the new PS4 timed-exclusive Nier: Automata had a very successful free demo earlier this year. Its anime visual style may not appeal to everyone, but it is an absurdly fast and smooth controlling character action game. The demo revealed levels complete with multiple changes of player perspective and gameplay scale. It seamlessly transitions from a traditional behind the back perspective to that of a top-down view, maintaining the same controls but giving the feeling of a twin-stick shooter. I expect to be knee-deep in Breath of the Wild, but for those of you with a craving for stylish action, Nier: Automata will be available March 7th on PS4 (PC date to be revealed later)
Mass Effect Andromeda
March continues to be an insane month for games. The first new game in the Mass Effect series since the divisive Mass Effect 3 arrives later this month as well. Taking place hundreds of years after the events of the original Mass Effect trilogy, Andromeda picks up with colony ships making the trek to the Andromeda Galaxy in search for new worlds, possibly free of the turmoil and destructive reapers behind the Milkyway’s issues of the previous millennia. Early footage touts a new combat system focusing on more mobility and action, but promises to keep up the dialog and narrative that myself and many others came to love the series for. Despite my early apprehension about what will likely be a whole new trilogy in itself, the most recent press has colored me more optimistic regarding what the future holds for the Mass Effect universe. Mass Effect Andromeda is available March 21st on Windows, PS4, and Xbox One.
-Justin Wicker