Intensive Gaming Diary

The blog about videogames.

Tag: nintendo switch

My Switch 2 Collection Is Already Starting to Grow

Posted on by Viljami

It has been two months since Nintendo released it newest video game console Switch 2. I have already a tiny collection of Switch 2 games. I have four games plus Mario Kart World that came bundeld with the console. I went for the bundle since it was more easily available although it cost some tens of euros more compared to the other option that didn’t include any games.

So, the games I have bought are Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster, Sonic X Shadow Generations, that were both available on the release of Switch two and Donkey Kong Bananza and Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 + 4. The latter was a “code-in-a-box” release. There was no other way to purchase the game. I am usually not into these codes. I like physical releases way more.

Donkey Kong Bananza is currently, in my opinion, the best game that you can have for Nintendo Switch 2. I have already played it for about ten hours. I am really enjoying it. Sometimes I feel like I am getting stuck in some way but when I take a break and return to playing this game the matter gets quickly solved and I keep on progressing. I haven’t got stuck badly at least not yet. I am hoping to finish this game some day soon. Donkey Kong Bananza is also a fully physical release. So, there are no huge downloads when you start to play the game.

What about the other games in my Switch 2 collection? I have to mention that I have been playing some Switch 1 games also. I played Burnout Paradise and Oddworld Abe’s Oddysee New and Tasty and also Dragon Quest III HD-2D. I have to add also Diablo III.

When it comes to THPS 3 + 4 I can tell you that the game is very good. I have spent five hours playing this game. It is cool to feel the nostalgia again and experience something from the past. There are very few matters that have been changed. The gameplay still feels nice. I just haven’t really got deeper with this game atleast not yet.

I only played Sonic X Shadow Generations for a little time. It was available when Switch 2 got released. If I wouldn’t have bought the bundle, Switch 2 with Mario Kart World, this would have propably been my first game for the system. Bravely Default is the only game I have for Switch 2 that I have not yet had time to play at all.

As Switch 2 was getting released we were introduced something like “game key cards”. This means that when you buy a game you get a key card. It alloes you to install the software of the game. You do need the key card to play the game. We can propably have a debate on if this is sensible in any way or not. I don’t have actually anything to say about this. Atleast every game that I have bought seems to be currently working and I can play them.

We have seen many good games already getting released for Nintendo Switch 2. Some good games are still getting released very soon. There are some games, that I am waiting to get released for Nintendo Switch 1 that do actually work also on Switch 2. I am especially waiting to see Hades II, Metroid Prime 4, Terminator 2D No Fate and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Splintered Fate. There might also be some oter good games coming that I didn’t mention here. Oh yeah, I think Final Fantasy Tactics could be interesting, also.

Switch 2 is currently my favorite gaming system that I own. I have divided my attention lately mainly to my Switch 2, Xbox Series X and Raspberry Pi 5 with a Recalbox OS installed. I play many retro games on my Raspberry Pi 5. I haven’t played so much on my PS4, PS3 or Mega Drive Mini or my Retro Trio console that supports SNES, NES and Mega Drive cartridges and of course every controller that I have for these systems. So, I do have all my consoles connected to my 4K 55 inch television. I already took a peek at some 8K televisions on a random web shop. They cost a huge sum of money, like 2000 euros or something like that. There are also not so many devices available that could output a 8K picture. But it might be that I have to get a new TV in maybe two to three years. We will have to wait and see.

Donkey Kong Bonanza Brings Back Some Memories

Posted on by Viljami

Playing Donkey Kong Bonanza just a moment ago brought some memories to my mind. I think this game is the first good game for this new Nintendo gaming console Switch 2. It definitely showcases what the console has to offer. I really enjoy the graphics and the whole gameplay.

Its been over 30 years since I got to play my Sega Mega Drive for the first time. I think the year was 1993. I used to play my Mega Drive for a while before I made my way to school in the morning. I only had a short way to my school and I usually went there by bike. So, I had about thirty minutes to play Sonic The Hedgehog before meeting my pals at our school and starting my then a bit short day in school. Those were the days!

Sega Mega Drive was my first gaming console. Earlier I had already played some games on our family’s personal computer. The computer had MS-DOS as an operating system. I remember many cool titles that I played. Some of them were a bit shorter and some took many hours to complete. Playing Sega Mega Drive was actually something that you couldn’t directly compare to what our PC had to offer.

One huge factor was the way that games on Mega Drive were played. With this console you only had to insert the game cartridge and start to control the character with the controller included. You did have to adjust some settings. You could even take another controller and give it to a friend so you could play together. Mega Drive offered support for two controllers. There was some kind of an adapter of sort that you could plug in to expand the multiplayer capabilities. We of course didn’t have any way to play in any kind of a network back then.

Sonic The Hedgehog was released for Mega Drive in 1991. Mega Drive had been in the markets for several years. Now it was time to change the strategy. Nintendo and NES had already an icon or a mascot – Super Mario. Sonic quickly became the character that represented this console. We have seen similar strategies from the era of Sony PlayStation in the form of Crash Bandicoot. You can also think that Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Bananza now showcases Switch 2’s power in a similar way.

I really like Donkey Kong Bananza. I really like Switch 2. I have been playing some Switch 1 titles also. It is nice to have a backwards compatibility like this. Since I have bought Switch 2 I have bought some Switch 2 games but also some Swithc 1 titles. I am really waiting for Terminator 2D – No Fate to get released. The release day was actually just recently pushed to end of Octoberw while it was earlier set to be released already in September. There is also a new NBA2K game coming in the beginning of September. I am not sure about if I am going to invest in a new basketball game. It just seems that the game is modified only slightly. It takes a lot of time to complete a modern NBA2K game. I have bought NBA2K every year for at least five years in a row so it might be a good time to take a break in that matter.

There’s some games getting released for Switch 2 later this year. The next Metroid Prime game is getting released in this years December. We are also going to see Hades II also for Switch 2 in December. I already have Hades II for my current Windows PC. I am still looking for a good moment to buy also a new personal computer that would utilize the new Windows 11 operating system. You might have heard that Windows 10 is going to be somewhat unsupported in October. There is also an option to keep using Windows 10 by paying a small amount of money to keep the system supported. It is also possible to install Linux. I am thinking about this and I haven’t yet made my final decision about this issue. We will see how things are going to begin shaping in a moment. See you again soon!

Some Notes About the New Nintendo Switch 2

Posted on by Viljami

Nintendo Switch 2 was released in June 5th this year (2025). There weren’t any huge actual limitations in the availability. I think everyone that made an order in advance also received their console. There were also lots of Switch 2 consoles available in “stone foundation” shops. I had to wait some days because there was a shortage on the Pro Controller 2 that I also ordered. I made my order in 6th of June. That day was Friday and it was 14th of June when I finally actually had the console and could start the deployment of my Switch 2.

There was a better availability of the console that came with Mario Kart World bundled. So, I bought my Switch 2 with this game. There weren’t really, yet, so many options for the first game for Switch 2. There has been already some debate online on social media and also on some video and text reviews about the price being a bit high. The price for the bundled version was, here in Finland, 620 euros while the version without Mario Kart game would cost 570 euros. Here in Finland the importer decided to add a special 100 euros to the price. I haven’t heard any deeper explanations on this. After all I am happy, still, that I can at least buy this console. I am not complaining but lets just say that there was already some conversation about this.

I am aware also that you have to buy many accessories that help you to use your Switch 2. The console has already 256 GB of space for your games. You might need also a memory card. It has to be the right type of a memory card. It can cost some tens of euros. I went and bought also the new Pro Controller 2 that cost me an extra 110 euros. You can still use the old and the first Pro Controller also with Switch 2. You also might need a carrying case that costs also some tens of euros. Also every game you want to play, of course, you have to buy. There has been some discussion and a new game for Switch 2 might cost something around 80 euros. So, as you can see, this isn’t a cheap console at all and you need to invest in it quite a bit.

What’s cool about Switch 2 is that it is almost ( I think it’s like 98 percentage or even more than that) backwards compatible with Switch 1 games. When I first had ran the deployment through with my Switch 2 I started to play Mario Kart World. However the game seemed a bit boring, a bit childish and I also read that it would take only about three and a half hours to finish the game. It is a good game, but I wanted to play something else. So, I inserted the physical Switch 1 game Diablo III and played it for maybe six to seven hours. I even continued playing it the next day. I created a new character and so after these hours of playing I had a wizard in level of 28. Then I started to play some Dragon Quest III 2D HD Remake. I also plan to play some Civilization VII on my Switch 2. I haven’t had time to play it, yet.

I also already bought another game. So, I now have two actual Switch 2 games along with my collection of Switch 1 games. The other Switch 2 game is Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster. I bought it just yesterday from a super market here in Vantaa (Finland). It cost me 50 euros. Some other options were and still are, if I really want to buy a third game already for this brand new console, The Legend of Zelda games Breath of The Wild and Tears of The Kingdom that do cost around 80 euros per game. They have some improvements. One game that I thought about buying was the Sonic game (Sonic X Shadow Generations) that is available for about 50 euros also.

The screen resolution is just fine and of a good quality. You really couldn’t ask for more. In handheld mode the screen works in Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels). When the console is docked you get a 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution. The handheld screen isn’t an OLED screen but I think that would have risen the consoles price even more and all the reviews that I’ve seen about this are basically saying that the screen is actually a very good one.

So, you probably got a clear picture of what I think about this new console, the Nintendo Switch 2. I told you about the games I am currently playing and what I think about the console in general. I am waiting to get my hands on some nice and new games. If you think a new console like this, take PS4 for example, it did take about a year or even a bit longer that we started to see some more games getting released. We are seeing lots of remakes but I am not going to complain about it. Lets just wait and play the games that are available. You can always play your Switch 1 games. If you are like me you have some games in your backlog that you haven’t had time to finish, yet.