Nintendo Switch Sports

Nintendo Switch Sports successfully recaptures the party game magic of Wii Sports, but quickly falls victim to a lack of depth that holds it back from achieving greatness.

Nintendo's latest motion-controlled sports game resparks the magic of playing with others, but not without a few fumbles along the way.

Ultimately, though, these games are so refined, and delivered with such odd, coffee-shop-and-library charm, that it doesn't matter how you play. My daughter is of the age where she completely missed the Wii, so when this new game arrived and we started moving the furniture around, she didn't have a clue what we were up to. But that afternoon we must have played together for hours, with breaks for when a diving header animation made her laugh so much she needed her breath back. The whole thing was intoxicating.

I do hope younger folks give this game a shot. I think they might once the game’s online mode is available, a place where people under the age of 35 are far more likely to play games. Until I can try those features, though, I’m happy to think of this as Nintendo’s love letter to the old and the old at heart. The company took over a decade to make the game, but maybe they were waiting for folks like me to age into it.

A well-thought-out online mode lifts Nintendo Switch Sports from being a sheer nostalgia trip, to an experience well worth the investment.

Switch Sports’ singleplayer is bafflingly hollow. All six events are available, but the reward system is absent. Gratification might come from defeating the CPU on the inconsistent “Strong” or “Powerhouse” difficulties, but don’t expect to receive anything flashy in exchange. As of right now, there are no incentives in place to keep casual players invested in returning to their favorite sports, which is a disservice to a sizeable percentage of the fanbase.

It's been a while since a video game got us up and moving like this, and happily it's as entertaining as ever

At the highest level, the AI puts up a genuine fight; I’ve lost more than I’ve won in that difficulty tier. But because the game’s rules are so simple, every win feels earned (I’m was in control, there’s one thing I had to do and I did it right) and every loss can be traced back to the source (I was in control, there was one thing I had to do but I did it wrong). Tennis is probably the best mode to start playing — and the one I know I’ll stick with the longest.

Nintendo Switch Sports really is a game of two halves. Offline the game is sorely lacking in features but may still be enough for 'casual' families looking for some simple fun. Solo players, however, will want to head online, which is where the game's progression system (and its real longevity) can be found.

When Nintendo gets these sort of lifestyle ‘event’ games right, they’re always a slam dunk. Sometimes, the accuracy of MotionPlus is missed. One can see how Nintendo could've done more new, and included more all-new stuff. And yet... Nintendo Switch Sports is pretty much exactly what I wanted. I can see how it'd be one of my absolute favourite games of the year. That's Nintendo's magic power.