Nintendo doing its thing. Which is… kinda odd but, hey, sometimes strange is good, right?
So, Nintendo’s always had a funny knack for dropping killer games with their consoles — like, remember Super Mario Bros with the NES? Or Tetris on the Game Boy? (That was back when my biggest worry was whether it was pizza night.) Anyway, there’s this oddball Switch 2 Welcome Tour now, which is a bit of a mix — part super cool intro, part head-scratcher. Maybe quirky is the word?
Okay, picture this: you’ve gotta sell folks a shiny new console that also gives a nod to its older sibling. How? By shouting out all the jazzy new features. That’s pretty much the main gig of Welcome Tour. It’s like a scavenger hunt, but with stamps — you collect ’em from this virtual console. Each bit has stuff like controller buttons, fan thingies, dock ports… Once you stamp a place, boom, you get to nose around the next bit. Oh, and they sneak in some factoids, quizzes (because learning is fun?), and mini-games. These games? All about showing off Switch 2’s latest tricks. One word: HD Rumble. Another thing they’re hyped about? The mouse controls. Was it just me, or did using the Joy-Con as a mouse feel smoother than butter, even with my recliner proving to be a lame mousepad?
Look, I get why Welcome Tour needs you to have extra gear like a USB camera or the shiny Pro Controller. But man, a section or two will remain a mystery unless you have those toys. Honestly, most of the mini-games, you don’t need anything special. And I spent ages just wandering around, getting those stamps, exploring what I could. Some of these challenges have timers, which makes it all intense when my couch potato self decides to compete with… well, me. High scores are a neat way to slack off from actually “learning” about every Switch 2 detail.
My first thought? Welcome Tour’s beefier than expected. It’s like a buffet of hands-on action with Switch 2 upgrades. Sort of like a bite-sized adventure. It’s not just a one-night stand; I’ll be revisiting it to master those tricky mini-games and, begrudgingly, brushing up for those quizzes. Nintendo kinda nailed it — didn’t drag, didn’t bore. But, would it have been better bundled as a freebie? Maybe. For folks who can’t deal with manuals (seriously, who can?), this feels like a cozy hug. And, in the end, sure, it made my wallet weep a little less bitterly. At least, I think? Hard to be sure, with Nintendo enchanting me and all.
