Making the Switch

So I think I'm going to buy a Nintendo Switch.

I've held off for a couple years, and that's mostly because a.) I still have a system with a stack of yet-to-be-beaten titles to work through, and b.) I don't have time to play the systems I already own.

That being said, I think I'm going to buy a Nintendo Switch.

I haven't really spent a whole hell of a lot of time playing video games over the last couple years, sure, what with Adulting and everything, but friends (and students) of mine are continuously singing the Switch's praises.  Being an original NES fan from the Golden Age of Gaming, I've grown up with Nintendo's various flagship titles throughout the formative years of my life.  Older generations might not understand the rationale behind a grown man playing video games, and younger generations probably think it's weird.  But for we Generation Y'ers - those born after the Gen X'ers but before the Millenials - we were the first to grow up with story-based video games, and those titles had a profound impact on our generation.

The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker

I view franchises like The Legend of Zelda (my favorite) the same as I do my favorite books, movies and LPs.  They're an indistinguishable part of a generation that really hit its stride following the fading of Atari, and grew into puberty while simultaneously saving Hyrule.

Of course I sprung for this version.

Back in 2014, our Wii stopped reading discs and instead of purchasing a new one, I decided upgrade to the newly-released Wii U, which could play all my existing Wii titles with improved graphics and a tablet controller (I explained all this before, if you'll recall.)  This system has held up insanely well over the years, despite the negative press it has thrown at it, and it's still the main system our family utilizes today.  The girls have grown up with it, and with its off-TV, separate screen-play mode, Yours Truly can play video games while the girls watch whatever bullshit they're currently into on Netflix.

So now that the Switch is out, I find myself having to finally address all the Wii U games that I bought over the years and never completed.  Many of these games I haven't gotten around to starting yet, others I started and never finished.  I'm reluctant to pull the trigger on a brand new gaming system until I get some degree of closure with these remaining titles:  I have dozens of Wii games that I shelved without playing more than a couple times, having set them on the backburner when I upgraded to the Wii U.  I don't want to do the same thing when I upgrade to the Switch.

Homeboy's going to feel that in the morning.

With that in mind, I've recently - like, since Christmas Vacation, thereabouts - started to readdress these neglected Wii U titles, and put in serious time towards beating them.  After years of on-again, off-again quasi-playing, I finally beat Windwaker, back in December.  The girls were home with me and watched the ending unfold over the course of a couple hours (towards the end of some of these longer adventure games, the cut-scenes and cinematics get pretty lengthy.)  I'm not going to lie:  it's really awesome having a cheering section on hand when you finally drive the Master Sword into Ganon's skull.

Pirates in LoZ.  I don't get it, either.

And this heroic victory of mine inspired Abby to start her own game save in Windwaker - as an old school gamer, it's pretty rad seeing your offspring take up the torch.  Setting off into the sun with a bunch of pirates.

You meet your daughter at the end of the game.  Which is random.

Speaking of pirates, I also beat Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag last month.  This one, too, was an on-again/off-again love affair, and one that I poured hours of gameplay into the summer I bought it (that summer, down in Florida, was basically devoted to playing Black Flag and floating in my pool working on my tan - I love paid summers off.)  Anyway, it had been sitting on a shelf, about 80% finished, when I finally decided to check it off the to-do list.

Drinks with the guys. Hornigold, Vane, Tew, Blackbeard, and Calico Jack.

Like Legend of Zelda and any other game I pick up, I like to think of myself as a completionist.  I buy the player's guide, I collect every last item and uncover every last secret in a game, I beat every side mission, every miscellaneous quest, everything before I head to the last level, boss, whatever.  It's the Hough OCD in me, I guess.  Anyway, while it's immensely satisfying, it's also insanely time-consuming, and that's why it's taken me years to beat some of these games.

My trusty shuttle, the Normandy.

But, last month I did.  And then I moved on to a third long-neglected gem:  Mass Effect 3.  This one was also pretty in-depth, but didn't require nearly as many hours to get through - the side content wasn't as extensive, but it was still a rip-roarin' ride, fighting alien assholes throughout the galaxy.  It was more combat-centric, but with an emphasis on conversations throughout the game that steer the narrative of the story, so the element of diplomacy and strategy was a welcome change.  Beating that one was a punch in the gut.

A few people died.

At present, I've got about three old Wii U titles (well, old in the since they're from 2014 - 2016) that I'd like to work through before I ultimately pull the trigger on the Switch.  Assassin's Creed III (which takes place during the American Revolution, which is totally badass), Watchdogs (think Grand Theft Auto), and Xenoblade: Chronicles (a sci-fi RPG that's incredibly open-world.)  Since I'm only half-way through one of them at the moment, I think it's safe to say that's more than enough content to get me through the rest of the school year, for sure.

I wouldn't want to lunge in to Breath of the Wild (the Switch's debut Zelda title) until Summer anyway - from what I hear, you can lose hundreds of hours playing that one.

And, as you guys know now, I'm somewhat of a completionist.

- Brian