In my last post, I briefly announced how I have decided to gamble and invest in a new venture. I am starting a video game channel centered around the Nintendo Switch 2, and as the delivery date gets closer, I find myself going back to how Nintendo has been a big part of my past.
To anyone who’s followed my blog recently, my entire focus has been representing the cause and mission of Jesus Christ, of living in the Kingdom. That hasn’t changed. I want to point out that as Christians, one of the highest callings we have is to be joyful. Somehow we’ve gotten the idea that we’re supposed to be somber and think about serious things all the time. We forget that God created a world filled with enjoyable things like beaches, companionship, music, animals. In other words I don’t see any conflict wth being a committed Christian, and sharing things that make us happy.
When I was a kid, I had a Nintendo GameCube. Some of the best video games ever released were on that console. I spent a lot of time playing ‘Super Mario Sunshine’, ‘Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door’, ‘Ocarina of Time’, ‘Majora’s Mask’, ‘Twilight Princess’, and ‘The Wind Waker’. As you can tell, I was a pretty big fan of ‘The Legend of Zelda’. These are some of my favorite memories ever.
In 2022, I ended up buying a Nintendo Switch, mostly because I caught an incredible deal. I also couldn’t deny the nostalgia it evoked, nor how he newer titles brilliantly connected my past with the now. For the past three years I’ve enjoyed myself immensely playing some fantastic titles, allow me to share a few with you;
Super Mario Odyssey;
This game has been way more fun than it has a right to be. The very first open world Mario video game, and what a fantastic experience this has been. Lacking any sort of meaningful plot, ‘Odyssey’ more than makes up for it with its slick gameplay and countless references to the history of Mario games.
Metroid Prime Remastered
Technically, this isn’t a new game. Metroid Prime came out in 2002. Oddly enough, I’d never even heard of it until the remastered edition came out in 2023. I enjoyed this game so much that I’ve played it three times. Metroid Prime is a first-person shooter that manages to elevate the genre with some great storytelling and in-depth world-building. It was great fun to engage space pirates in combat, but what really kept me engaged was the depth of lore surrounding an ancient alien civilization and the level of detail that went into developing the world.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door HD
I rarely buy video games right out of the gate. I made an exception for ‘The Thousand Year Door’ and I haven’t regretted it since. This is one of my favorite video games ever made, and when I heard there was an HD remaster, I could hardly contain my excitement. I was also pleasantly surprised by some of the alterations Nintendo added, including some altered dialogue and a new soundtrack. Of course, I prefer the original soundtrack.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
I did not know what to expect when I started on this game. I had a vague understanding that this is referred to by many fans as ‘the holy grail of Nintendo games’. I’m not goingto dress it up, ‘Super Mario RPG’ is a weird game. There’s bearded frogs, a talking cloud, and some eccentric character/monster/unidentified creature called Booster. Yet there is an undeniable charm to this game, and an originality that defies categorization. In other words, this game has aged very well, and it still massive loads of fun to play.
Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom
When I first saw the Studio Ghibli style art, and the sprawling open world environment of Hyrule, I loved it instantly. Without question, both of these games are Nintendo’s crowning achievement. I have spent untold hours battling, solving puzzles, and experiencing the sheer brilliance of the video game’s storyline. To be honest, I am surprised that Nintendo was even capable of producing something this epic and sweeping.
My time with the Switch has been an absolute blast. I’m looking forward to some other great moments with the Nintendo Switch 2.
