Well, well, well, looks like it's time to get the ball rolling with our very first Sword and Shield Tribune. You knew this was coming, we all did. What may easily be the biggest news video game wise of the last month, Nintendo shocked us all again with cardboard. Not just any cardboard though, magical profit generating cardboard. Not one for keeping it simple, (or normal), Nintendo innovated once again and stepped just to the edge of virtual reality with Nintendo Labo. A video game/cardboard peripheral package, Nintendo Labo allows users to experience specially designed games in a new, interactive way. Is it good? Is it bad? Can I use my own cardboard? Let's get into it and go experimental with Nintendo Labo.
First off, let's talk about the marketing here. I've covered this lightly on Twitter recently but I think it's a good time to get in depth here. Clearly the Switch is enjoying an unbelievable sales streak and is constantly top of list in terms of sales and generated hype. Fastest selling console in U.S. history and a wonderful hybrid staying power won't be a problem. Because of the sales numbers we've seen a decent outpouring of indie and 3rd party support and Nintendo has brought its A game in terms of 1st party titles. So, all of that combined it's fair to say that the little hybrid that could is doing very well and is poised to do even better in 2018. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, we get a "kid-friendly" announcement from Nintendo that attempts to reinvent the wheel yet again. Yet, as if to show that we may have come back around to the glory days of the Wii, the death of Nintendo and the failure of the Labo talking points are basically non-existent. Why? Because of how well Nintendo built the platform prior to the bombshell. When the first year is so damn wonderful, and everyone is riding the high of killer games and sales, then no one worries about innovation and kid focused marketing. It's knowing your market and playing it well that Nintendo should be lauded for here, and I'm glad to see them reaping the rewards.
Is it actually worth buying though? That's the main question on the mind of every one else, and it demands an answer worthy of the "hype." Well, like a kid in a candy store, or Toy-con store in this case, I believe it is absolutely worth the price. For starters, it's just absolutely a novel idea. Looking past novelty though it isn't really too much more expensive than any other game we so readily open our wallets for. We normally end up paying roughly $60 per new game release that affords us roughly 10-20 hours of good story gameplay, and so many more hours of multiplayer. Hell, I've payed $60 to blow through a Call of Duty campaign in roughly 4 hours and then play multiplayer for all of 3 hours to drop it and never return. For $10 more not only do I get multiple hours of fun across a number of different games, but I also get to try out a new concept that makes an interactive medium even more interactive. Before anybody throws the mini-game compilation argument at me lets not forget that we all have payed $40-$60 for mini-game compilations that we've had a ton of fun with over the years. Earlier last year multiple thousands of people shelled out half a hundred to enjoy 1,2,Switch. Wii U lifetime we happily would have payed, and some did, for Nintendo land. Even as far back as the Nintendo 64 we popped open the coffers for Mario Party every time a new one came out. This isn't a new concept, and lord knows we've payed for it before.
Would I be hesitant to pay for the $80 robot bundle? Of course, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't buy the base package at $70 all day. It's new, innovative, and creative as hell. With rumors of ability to use your own cardboard so long as you build the shapes properly the entry price is nothing more than the same price as nearly every other game release. I think it's worth the money, and as a kid friendly product it's without a doubt one of Nintendo's better offerings. A proverbial home run, it shouldn'r be overlooked.
So, what do you think? Are you going to be first in line to grab your cardboard future? Or are you more the type to stick to controller or keyboard? Either way, one thing is for sure, gaming looks poised to have an absolutely stellar 2018. I'm XionFate5271, and this has been the Sword and Shield Tribune. Join Vilcor88 next week for what I believe will be a monstrous hunt in the gaming world and keep on gaming strong. Thank you all for reading, and good night.
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