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Julius

Everybody 1-2-Switch!

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Well, I'll confess, this certainly wasn't on my bingo card. 

In case you missed the story on it published by Fanbyte last summer, which sheds some light on why the game is probably turning up and putting out so suddenly:

Quote

Accounts differ on exactly when the sequel to 1-2 Switch started development. The title, which sources say settled on Everybody’s 1-2 Switch at one point, went through a few variations as the developers struggled with a core question: how exactly do you make a sequel to 1-2 Switch? The obvious answer was simply to add more minigames, as other iterative party titles had done, but they also wanted to release a title that didn’t render the first game moot and stop it from selling.

The inspiration instead came from Jackbox Games, developers of the Jackbox Party Pack series. Games like You Don’t Know Jack, Fibbage, Quiplash, and the like are popular at parties, inspiring the Everybody’s 1-2 Switch team to establish a game show-like theme with a host and more participants. As opposed to the original game’s setup of having two users with a joycon each going up against each other, Everybody’s 1-2 Switch had many more players at once. With the use of smartphones, the game could have lobbies as big as 100 players — thus, the name Everybody’s 1-2 Switch.

The idea, on paper, was solid. Nintendo EPD Group 4 designed a host for the minigames based on international appeal: a bipedal horse that looked like a man wearing a rubber horse mask. The game’s text simply referred to him as “Horse” because it sounded enough like the English word “Host” that it would come across in different languages. Minigames would ask players to physically move around the environment for things like Musical Chairs, or use their phone to play Bingo. There was even a game that resembled a virtual version of Spin the Bottle that involved saying something nice about another person.

It tested horribly.

When playtesting groups received the game, the feedback to the development team was brutal. The target audiences Nintendo was hoping to hit — families with children — found the games boring; many didn’t even want to play through entire rounds. In the Bingo example, one player would use the joycon to mime digging out a number before reading it off the TV screen — a process that playtesters reported as tedious.

More at the link and I think it's well worth a read, which is why I won't quote it all here, but yeah...

...what were they thinking?

We are well and truly in the twilight of the Switch with this having somehow got through to see the light of day :laughing:

  • Confused 1
  • Weird 1

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Huh... It's actually coming out then? Didn't see that coming.

EDIT: Apparently, you can use smart devices instead of Joy-Cons, going by the PR?

Ninty, I like you and your weirdness, but you're stepping up to Jackbox Games here, and I don't think that's a fight you can win.

DOUBLE EDIT AFTER JULIUS'S EDIT: Oh, so the article does mention Jackbox as the inspiration. That's brave.

Edited by Glen-i
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Why no trailer? It's so weird to announce a game without a trailer.

Edited by MindFreak

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2 hours ago, MindFreak said:

Why no trailer? It's so weird to announce a game without a trailer.

I mean, if that article is accurate, Ninty probably want to just get it out there and over with.

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Honestly surprised that Nintendo didn’t just cancel the game after it reviewed so poorly internally.  The fact that they’re just dumping this out with a tweet that shows no screenshots (and not even a single !) doesn’t exactly inspire confidence…

Edit: So far, it seems that this is going to be a US only release? No announcement from NOE/NCL.  If NOA think that this is gonna be their Xenoblade Wii? They’re gonna be very wrong on this one.

Edited by Dcubed

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21 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

Honestly surprised that Nintendo didn’t just cancel the game after it reviewed so poorly internally.  The fact that they’re just dumping this out with a tweet that shows no screenshots (and not even a single !) doesn’t exactly inspire confidence…

Edit: So far, it seems that this is going to be a US only release? No announcement from NOE/NCL.  If NOA think that this is gonna be their Xenoblade Wii? They’re gonna be very wrong on this one.

I saw earlier Nintendo Japan tweeted about it and now Nintendo UK have.

 

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Thanks Ike.  So guys.  Will this review worse than Redfall or not? Will Nintendo let Xbox off the hook for title of worst reviewed first party game of 2023?

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8 hours ago, Glen-i said:

Huh... It's actually coming out then? Didn't see that coming.

EDIT: Apparently, you can use smart devices instead of Joy-Cons, going by the PR?

Ninty, I like you and your weirdness, but you're stepping up to Jackbox Games here, and I don't think that's a fight you can win.

DOUBLE EDIT AFTER JULIUS'S EDIT: Oh, so the article does mention Jackbox as the inspiration. That's brave.

With Jackbox you start and finish on your phone, reading from this Nintendo are either:

1 - trying to copy Jackbox, which we all know will end poorly for them, one of the big appeals about Jackbox is how freeing and random everything is and the great opportunity to be very offensive. Nintendo will most likely stick to their IP and a Quiplash about Donkey Kong isn't my idea of fun. Will hardly be a lobby filler of online audience members

2 - wanting you to use Joy Con only, which was a nice intro in 1-2 Switch, but I can't see it being replicated unless you repackage the previous games motions as a different activity (not sure what you could redo the spinning plates one as...), but this may run the risk on stepping on the toes of Switch Sports and maybe even Ring Fit Adventure (which I haven't played but keep meaning to, and probably more deserving of a sequel)

I don't see how you can realistically merge the two... Trying both seems insanity.

 

Why can't a hard working PA get a new Golden Sun or remake/sequel to Eternal Darkness and be forced to have the knowledge that Nintendo are wasting their staffs time on this bollocks?

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6 hours ago, Dcubed said:

Thanks Ike.  So guys.  Will this review worse than Redfall or not? Will Nintendo let Xbox off the hook for title of worst reviewed first party game of 2023?

I'm not sure enough outlets will even bother to review it for it to count.

They must have made some improvements since the article about the dire development so it might not be quite as disastrous but it still seems like a game they'd have been better off burying - it's not like Nintendo can't afford to take the hit financially. 

My fear is that it'll still sell more than Xenoblade ever will 

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17 minutes ago, killthenet said:

They must have made some improvements since the article about the dire development so it might not be quite as disastrous but it still seems like a game they'd have been better off burying - it's not like Nintendo can't afford to take the hit financially.

I can't help but think of Advance Wars: Reboot Camp when I read the bolded. I don't agree in that regard. If the game is pretty much done, then it's a bit of a waste to just not release it, just because it might be a bit rubbish.

Sure, you'll get some online personalities pointing and laughing, but after TotK only recently coming out, it'll soon be forgotten and people will move on, and Ninty will have made a few bob from this.

Edited by Glen-i

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I imagine most reviews will basically say "it's fine if uninspiring, the appeal wears off quickly and it should have been free on NSO". I'm sure it'll be a 6 or so from most places. 

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eShop retail price is £24.99! Haven't noticed any boxed prices go up yet.

If it is the same boxed then this has to be the cheapest launch day RRP for a Nintendo game since the DS days. 

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First trailer...

This looks much more similar to the first game than I was expecting. It's not really like Jackbox at all, like the rumours were suggesting.

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That looks like horse shit. 

Putting a load of screaming influencers in a room doesn't help sell it either. 

Although I do wonder if this means it won't even be shown during tomorrow's direct. 

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That's a lot more promotion than I expected them to give this game, does look pretty bare bones too - those 'influencers' were really forcing themselves to look like they were enjoying it

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So. I had the chance play this with a few friends of mine...

... it's actually not bad at all! We had some fun with it, both in a point n' laugh funny and in a genuinely fun way.  The colour matching photography game in particular is pretty darn clever.  That Statues game though? That's the stuff of pure nightmares though, that kid's eyes... :shakehead

It's certainly more interesting than the original 1,2,Switch.  While it's not gonna be knocking the likes of Jackbox off of its pedestal, I could definitely see it being a good time with a large crowd :)

Edited by Dcubed

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