Preparing For the Nintendo Switch 2 – A Look Back at the Original Switch

Another Nintendo era is coming to a close this week as we prepare for the launch of the next Nintendo era – the Nintendo Switch 2. If you’ve played video games any time in the past forty years, making childhood memories can be nothing short of incredible, and those related to Nintendo are ones you can hold onto forever. They’ll keep you young in your heart for the rest of your life and color your tomorrow with the best of your yesterday.

I’ve decided to look back and explain the memories I’ve had with the original Switch. I was all grown up and in high school when it released, and I had to think back when it was unveiled in October 2016. My brother had just gone off to college and took the Wii U with him. This left me unable to play Super Smash Bros. 4, but just wait a few months later. I was impressed with the ability to take the system wherever you went and the detachable controllers. I was one of the forty million people who saw the trailer the day it went live.

I could not wait for the Nintendo Switch to release. Of course, I did end up spending a few on Pokémon Sun and Moon, which launched a month later on its predecessor the Nintendo 3DS. I remember the day of its launch: Friday, March 3, 2017. Thankfully, it was a half day at school, and we immediately went to Best Buy after school, and there it was. Picked it up and took it home. I wouldn’t begin playing my Switch nonstop until Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came out.

Mario and Pokémon were the games I played the most on the system. My brother even got the system on day one too. The first year and a half of the system’s lifespan was praised for free online, until they started charging in autumn 2018. The height of my Switch usage wouldn’t be until the coronavirus pandemic, where I played Super Mario Maker 2 nonstop.

In the days after the pandemic, I remember playing and beating Super Mario Bros. Wonder in its opening weekend. Of course, I can’t continue without mentioning that I played every mainline Pokémon game released on it. It was amazing that we got two remakes instead of the usual one. A lot of people don’t like the entries on the platform, given the reduced Pokédex. There were already hundreds of Pokémon species, and I figured this was going to happen. There’s no way you can include every single species, as it would take forever to catch them all. I have to say that Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were the two biggest disappointments. I still enjoyed Pokémon Sword and Shield as a college student.

Nothing held me back when I learned that one of my favorite RPG franchises returned in 2024 with Mario & Luigi: Brothership. Now, with Mario Kart World on its way and said to be drastically different than all previous entries, could it become the best entry in the entire series? Only the critics and audiences will tell.

I was unable to preorder it as it sold out like hotcakes when preorders opened. I never preordered the original Nintendo Switch and yet I still managed to snag one on day one. Even if I’m a diehard Nintendo player, I’m not really a nighttime guy and choose not to stand in line until midnight. Since I live in a city with a small population of roughly 250,000, I should hopefully be able to grab my system on day one until the major retailers in my area open up.