So last year I discussed the wealth of indie games available on various platforms that were testing interesting game ideas in ways that large AAA games couldn’t. This blossoming of indie games in the modern gaming space could probably be traced back to the Xbox Live Arcade. From there, Steam acted as a platform for these indie games. I have a lot of indie games on Steam. I have a lot of games in general on Steam. While I used to play lots of my indie games on Steam, of late that is getting increasingly difficult. Steam is awash with titles of every conceivable quality. Just recently, a game in which the player can play as a school shooter made its way onto the platform. Steam is just too crowded these days. That crowding includes fantastic games. However, these games often lost in the fray. Now with the Switch, something is happening to these indie games as they find a space in the console space.

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So recently I got myself a Switch. I’m enamoured with it for one simple reason. It has a lot of indies and can be played portably. I couldn’t imagine playing Stardew Valley on any other console. I own Stardew Valley on my computer but usually, I’m using my computer for other purposes. With the Switch, I can play a game while I’m commuting. I can play a game while the TV is being used for Netflix. I can play the Switch in another room easily. I can bring my Switch to a friend’s place. The Switch fits around my life and that makes it the ideal console for me and possibly for other busy adults as well. So much of the antiquated idea of gamers revolves around the console as a static platform. Sure, phones games exist but a combination of factors means that phone games have their own shape and form to them that lends itself to smaller experiences. The Switch can handle beefier experiences and a controller with more nuanced controls than tapping. With that, I’m going to talk about a feature of the Switch that I never realised the benefit of until I had a Switch. The controller.

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So, there’s this game called Democracy 3. The game is an intense political simulation. The goal is to be continually re-elected. That’s not my goal when I play the game. My method of gameplay could more be described as an ideological crusade. I’m quite left-leaning by nature, which is unsurprising considering my environment (economically lower-middle class, university educated creative who has had first- and second-hand experience with the welfare system). With this left-leaning nature, I tend to be in favour of higher taxes for those in the top brackets of society. Call me crazy (and also not an economist) but one percent of people owning most of the wealth while homelessness is still a problem and people are routinely harangued by the welfare system over less than a billionaire earns in a second, doesn’t sound like a great system. Does that make me a socialist? Sure, if that’s what you want to call me.

Rants aside, why is my admittedly simplistic view of the situation important to how I play this game. Well, like I said, for me this game becomes an ideological crusade. Every time I play I convince myself that I can increase taxes and welfare spending, but something goes awry. Here is the story of how I keep getting targeted by capitalists and conservatives in Democracy 3.

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So recently I’ve been getting into this game called Warframe. I’ve heard it described as ‘Destiny, but good and free-to-play’. Interestingly, this isn’t my first attempt at playing Warframe. When I owned a PS4 at launch there wasn’t much to play so I attempted Warframe. Something about the game left me confused at the time and the whole thing just didn’t click for me. Returning to Warframe, however, has been a blast and the game turns for me in a way that it didn’t before. So, with all that noted, I wanted to look at one of the things that makes Warframe work for me. The movement system.

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So, a week or so again, Nintendo released a trailer for a new piece of tech they have coming for the Nintendo Switch. This is Nintendo Labo. Nintendo Labo is a set of constructible cardboard accessories for the Switch. The Switch and its JoyCons are placed within this cardboard and this set-up allows for strange and wonderful uses of the Switch. The base set includes a piano, a fishing rod, and a house among other things. The response from those interested in the Switch has been mixed to say the least. However, I have great faith in Nintendo Labo for a few reasons.

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So, last week, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon released on the Nintendo 3DS. I’ve been playing through them. Don’t worry, no spoilers here. The reason I mention these games is that these games have been revealed to be the last Pokémon games for the 3DS. Now I’m very new to the Pokémon games due to having neither Nintendo consoles or handheld consoles as a kid. The handhelds were withheld due to a belief of my parents that I would play the games all night. They weren’t wrong, but now I’m an adult and can make my own poor life decisions.

So, a couple years ago I bought a 3DS and played through Pokémon X and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire. Through these games, I completed the Pokédex and got invested in the series. You can read about some of my experiences with going back to play Pokémon Blue in my first post on this site. Anyway, I’m fairly tied to the series now. A friend recently suggested that I post my theories about what the Switch will do to the main Pokémon formula and so, this piece exists.

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