Nintendo Switch comes with Grade-A exclusives

When the Nintendo Switch was announced late last year, fans were understandably very, very excited. Who could resist

and on the move? The morning commute could - if Nintendo delivers — be something of a blessing, offering an hour of quality gaming that doesn’t drain your mobile data.

But that’s the big question: can Nintendo deliver? That initial three-minute teaser, released in October 2016, promised so much. A handheld/console hybrid that offers blockbuster games anywhere with a heavy emphasis on multiplayer and quality graphics.

Nintendo, though, is remaining coy with regard the device’s specifications. How powerful is the device really? Will the console’s graphics be worse-off because of the handheld capabilities? Does the dock boost its power? Are third-party developers actually going to make games for a Nintendo device again?

Finally, late last week, the company invited the press and various YouTubers to their huge hands-on event at the Eventim Apollo. Over a dozen games were on display - the biggest being The and — while two big games were notably missing: and the highly anticipated

(it should be noted that, despite Skyrim initially hitting PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 back in 2011, huge numbers of people are excited at the prospect of being able to play the legendary dungeon explorer while on the move/toilet).

First impressions are important, and the first thing almost every- one noticed when finally seeing the real-life Switch was just how small the device is, the screen barely being bigger than a 3DS XL’s. That’s both a good thing and bad. Playing on the Tube would presumably be easier. But, split screen, it’s tiny. That aforementioned introduction video featured people playing against each other on partitions practically the size of an iPhone screen — not exactly an ideal multiplayer situation. However, when playing

at a round table surrounded twelve consoles, the multiplayer aspect was phenomenal. Everyone was linked up, Switch in hand, ready to race. Almost immediately I was transported back 10 years to when everyone who’s anyone owned a DS with

and would huddle around racing each other. Not much has changed except the graphics have improved tenfold. The multiplayer experience was exactly what sold the DS by the bucketload: obviously, Nintendo is trying to emulate this while progressing their devices further.

Playing was the only chance I had playing on the Switch’s screen, which looked remarkably sharp. With both JoyCon controllers plugged in the sides, racing was an absolute joy, the Switch feeling remarkably robust in hand. Unfortunately, this encounter was relatively brief, but — first impressions — it physically felt like a quality device that wants to be played on the move and not just sit in a dock. Moving onto the phenomenal

We’ve been waiting years for this, the game having originally been announced for Wii U but Nintendo delaying the release especially for the Switch. Like last year’s

— also delayed across devices — Breath of Wind’s art direction has become more cartoony, and for the better. Graphically, the game looks fantastic, and despite the demo only offering 15 minutes of gameplay, you get a sense Breath of Wind could be very special indeed.

Beforehand, I was worried the game may have been made to be more portable-friendly thanks to the console’s nature. These concerns were dismissed immediately: as most of you probably expected, the game plays like a proper console game. The con- troller — made up of both JoyCons — took a little getting used too as rather small and fiddly, but — quickly — I got used to it.

Moving onto the extendable arms boxing game. Surprisingly, proved one of the most impressive games on display, defeating all expectations because it was just really, really fun. Instead of holding the controllers normally, me and my opponent turned them on sideways, using the extra bumper buttons to use special abilities. Facing the screen, we punched the controllers forward furiously, trying to beat each other.

Unlike the boxing game on Wii Sports, though, may be easy to pick-up-and-play, but already there’s a sense that, with time, you would learn certain combos and skills. THE INDEPENDENT