While diehard Nintendo fans ate up the Switch 2 showcase, former PlayStation exec Shuhei Yoshida has proven harder to please.
The first big Nintendo Direct for the Switch 2 left viewers feeling a whirlwind of emotions. It was exciting thanks to all the big game reveals, particularly for the likes of Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, but there was a downside too.
Some announcements left people a little cold and the more exciting ones were undercut by the high prices of first party games, which weren’t shared until after the showcase had wrapped up.
One person who definitely wasn’t impressed, by what Nintendo had to show, was former PlayStation Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, who has been sharing his thoughts on the showcase.
Yoshida joined the team on the MinnMax YouTube channel and in a post-Direct chat, MinnMax founder Ben Hanson asked Yoshida how he would review it on a scale of one to 10.
To Hanson’s surprise, Yoshida only scored it a six, before adding it went up to a seven once FromSoftware’s new game, The Duskbloods, made an appearance.
When pressed for details, Yoshida admitted that he wanted to see more new games, instead of ‘mostly remakes and ports.’
Technically there weren’t any remakes, although a number of third party ports were announced – which most fans saw as a positive and which Nintendo highlighted in order to show the broad support for the format.
Yoshida is likely also referring to the four Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games, which are upgraded versions of existing Switch 1 games.
It’s a fairly uncharitable take in our opinion, as while some beloved Nintendo IPs, like Splatoon and Animal Crossing, were absent, there were a healthy amount of new game reveals. Aside from Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and The Duskbloods, the Direct also unveiled:
- Drag X Drive
- Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
- Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment
- Survival Kids
- Enter The Gungeon 2
- Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions
- Kirby Air Riders
That’s also not including new remasters, like Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD or the director’s cut of Yakuza 0. And while there were a lot of ports, these are for games that had to skip the Switch 1, making this their Nintendo debut, which is a big and important deal for the Switch 2.
That isn’t to say the showcase was flawless. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour being a paid product is still baffling and Nintendo’s messaging on a number of details was very unclear, especially regarding prices – with many questions still outstanding almost a week later.
Yoshida seemed most interested in The Duskbloods but he also said the Direct started off ‘really nice’, with the new camera accessory and GameChat feature that lets players share their screens with one another.
He also complimented the look of Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which has gone down very poorly with most other observers.
As a reminder, Yoshida retired from Sony in January and while he so far hasn’t announced any plans to seek new employment within the games industry, he has lent his voice to a character in upcoming indie game Promise Mascot Agency.
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