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Discussion Was Switch Sports overhated?

Was Switch Sports overhated?

  • Total voters
    112
It’s my least favorite first party game on Switch and my biggest gaming regret of the generation. So no.
 
For me it's a forgettable game. The only thing I liked was the soccer game, and even that could have been better. I remember reading the interview with the developers, and as I remember it, most of the team didn't work on the Wii titles. At some point of the development the game was more like a traditional game (using traditional input) than a motion control game. And when I read that it made so much sense, because the game is worse than the Wii sports even in the motion control level (the tennis game makes it clear how worse the programming of the game is in comparison with the original wii sports, like they didn't know what they were doing)

If we talk about content, there's also no comparison with Resort.

About the characters, I liked it.
 
It’s a fantastic game, and I honestly ended up playing it more than any of the Wii Sports games. Sportsmates are also totally fine (and are not a replacement for Miis), though they get significantly better once you unlock more customization options for them. That’s the one thing I don’t like about the game—that you may have to play the game for months before you’re able to unlock customization options for your Sportsmate that you want. Though, it certainly did keep me playing the game, so I suppose it accomplished what Nintendo surely intended by it…
 
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Ab said:
I didn't play it but it didn't have baseball did it? That for me makes it a loss
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It did not have baseball nor boxing. Boxing would have been hard to implement with the Sportsmates but baseball is a huge miss.
 
Volleyball is ridiculously fun. I should go back at some point, I was pretty close to X rank iirc (or whatever it is above S10)
 
Lugia667 said:
I mean for a non pack-in game it's sold REALLY well. So I wonder how hated it really was
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The vast majority of people hating on it are people in online gaming bubbles who probably haven’t even played the full game, and mostly just because of the whole “Mii erasure” nonsense. Meanwhile I’m confident that the vast majority of the game’s actual audience does not care that the game prominently features new Sportsmates characters over Miis (and Miis are still an option, regardless).
 
Just like the attitude of players towards GAAS, on the surface people dislike it, but in reality they like it. The complaints of Sports can be summarized as why it is not a GAAS.
 
If nothing else, I'll say that the Sportsmates are overhated. I think they're cute, there would be zero issue whatsoever if they had been introduced in a different game instead of a Wii Sports successor.
 
crazybenjamin said:
If nothing else, I'll say that the Sportsmates are overhated. I think they're cute, there would be zero issue whatsoever if they had been introduced in a different game instead of a Wii Sports successor.
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The secret best thing about Sportsmates, too, is that they’ve opened the door for a Wii/Nintendo Switch Sports fighter in Smash!
 
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It’s lacking in offline modes and challenges but I had a lot of fun 100%ing the catalogue and playing online/offline with friends. Could’ve probably used one or two more sports like Baseball and Boxing though.
 
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Compared to a hot game like, Suicide Squad where people seem to gleefully wish for its live-service death, criticism of Switch Sports seems much more reasonable and muted tbh even if it does exist. Or from a Nintendo-side, Federation Force, or something. I'm not sure the Wii series can spur the same passion even from people rankled about the de-emphasis on Miis.
 
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No. It wasn‘t hated at all. Many were just disappointed about certain things like how they handle unlocking new items.
 
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It don't think it was hated at all?

It's got some real obvious problems like you should still unlock costumes when playing with friends and it's missing even modes the original Wii sports had like power bowling but it all works fine.
 
I certainly think so, but I also think Wii Sports is overrated so I may not be the best person to ask.
 
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I was so hyped, loved wii sport resort and I find Sportmates really cool… but didn’t buy it since I discovered there was no meaningful offline content. Same story with Mario tennis and Mario strikers :(
 
Yeah like others have said another 2-4 sports would have gone a long way to making it feel like a complete package.

The sportsmates are definitely overhated though. They are so much easier to look at than Miis and were a much needed upgrade.

A sequel with as much content as resort would be really compelling.
 
After 2 years I have mixed feelings on it.

You'll never be able to convince me that the Sportsmates were anything other than an abomination that spits in the face of the legacy of the "Wii Series" IP. Their customization options are far worse than the Miis, and they look so corporate and sanitized because of that. If the game just used Miis as the main avatars instead, I think my feelings toward the game would lean towards positive.

The Sport selection is also lackluster compared to both of the original two games, especially when 3 out of the 7 this time are
"net-based" sports that play very similarly. Soccer also straight up doesn't feel like it belongs in a Wii Sports series game (too much use of button/sticks). The removal of the single-player side-modes in favor on online repeat matches is also pretty terrible.

Despite all that, the core gameplay of the sports included is as fun as ever (with the exception of Soccer). Spocco Square is also a brilliantly designed location, although I can't see it having the same cross-franchise legacy that Wuhu Island does. The online play modes are very fun, and the game's soundtrack is also phenomenal.

So, overall, I'd say most of the hate is justified, but I think the game still has some merits. Hopefully the inevitable Switch 2 entry in the series can match the glory of Resort.
 
TheMindOfThomas said:
After 2 years I have mixed feelings on it.

You'll never be able to convince me that the Sportsmates were anything other than an abomination that spits in the face of the legacy of the "Wii Series" IP. Their customization options are far worse than the Miis, and they look so corporate and sanitized because of that. If the game just used Miis as the main avatars instead, I think my feelings toward the game would lean towards positive.

The Sport selection is also lackluster compared to both of the original two games, especially when 3 out of the 7 this time are
"net-based" sports that play very similarly. Soccer also straight up doesn't feel like it belongs in a Wii Sports series game (too much use of button/sticks). The removal of the single-player side-modes in favor on online repeat matches is also pretty terrible.

Despite all that, the core gameplay of the sports included is as fun as ever (with the exception of Soccer). Spocco Square is also a brilliantly designed location, although I can't see it having the same cross-franchise legacy that Wuhu Island does. The online play modes are very fun, and the game's soundtrack is also phenomenal.

So, overall, I'd say most of the hate is justified, but I think the game still has some merits. Hopefully the inevitable Switch 2 entry in the series can match the glory of Resort.
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I don't know what volleyball was like at launch, since it was updated, but today it's the best sport in the franchise, really nothing to compare with Tennis and Badminton.
 
In my opinion:

Wii Sports: Perfect for what it should be

Resort: Overrated, I really think most of the added sports are mere minigames and much inferior to the originals

Switch Sports: Overhated, online is very good, a good selection of sports, I'm just disappointed that the new sports never materialized and stopped at Golf.

About the sportsmates, I think they just needed a little more customization, yes just a little, the Miis are cool and are still an option to use, but the sportsmates are kind of "Fast Miis", I'm really happy that my friends don't needed 20 minutes each to create a Mii, as the sportsmates might only take about 2 minutes to be customized. On the downside, some of these Sportsmates really looked like each other due to the lack of variety of options.
 
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LinkURL said:
I don't know what volleyball was like at launch, since it was updated, but today it's the best sport in the franchise, really nothing to compare with Tennis and Badminton.
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hey. badminton rules
 
The game was a lot of fun and there haven’t been many first party motion control gimmicky games this gen so it felt quite unique. I think the joy-cons held up to the challenge of accurate motion tracking quite well which was key to making the whole thing work. I have no opinion on sportsmates other than I think people make too big of a deal out of them - though I do think they visually look nicer than Miis.

Also, for as stressful and unpleasant as the peak Covid years were it kinda heightened the casual, easy-going nature of the game. It was an amazing way to relax a bit in the evening and get some light movement in.
 
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I don’t really think it’s ‘overhated’. I think it’s got its fans and the biggest emotion I see towards it is just indifference rather than ‘hate’.
 
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Suswave said:
hey. badminton rules
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Yes, I said comparison in the sense that Volleyball has nothing to do with badminton and tennis in terms of gameplay.
But Badminton for me is the worst sport lol, it's not different enough from Tennis and I find it very easy, whenever I've played the rallies last forever.
But it's not objectively bad, I think it's better than most of the sports added to the Resort for example.
 
LinkURL said:
Yes, I said comparison in the sense that Volleyball has nothing to do with badminton and tennis in terms of gameplay.
But Badminton for me is the worst sport lol, it's not different enough from Tennis and I find it very easy, whenever I've played the rallies last forever.
But it's not objectively bad, I think it's better than most of the sports added to the Resort for example.
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but hey.







badminton rules
 
I earnestly forgot about it. Never bought it myself, and I didn't even pick up the dumb hype surrounding Everybody 1-2 Switch, but at least the latter had some internet virality going for it.

These sports games Nintendo puts out, whether Mario branded or otherwise, I simply do not care for them if they're not feature complete at launch. It is Nintendo's worst habit by far and I simply refuse to support it. Even if they do go on deep discounted sales I don't see anyone else playing it these days in my friend list so I've moved on just the same.

Played it at a friend's house once and it was aight, but it didn't move the needle for me. Sportsmates seemed kinda ugly/goofy to me. Wuhu Island > Spocco Square. Where was boxing?

Maybe the hate was hyperbole online, but it wasn't entirely unwarranted. Just disappointing all around.
 
It was an okey title, the problem was that they didn’t give them too much support like adding 2 or 3 more sports via free updates (like datamined basketball + dodgeball).
 
It is fun for what it is
I think sports mates are terrible (it’s like the drunk animal crossing villager and the Xbox avatars had babies) and the image quality and textures are ugly as sin

But golf and bowling are super fun
 
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It made me want to go back and revisit Wii Bowling so I'm gonna say no.

I can't speak for the general audience but if they used the models in a corporate slideshow selling marketing strategies I wouldn't have been shocked. It was devoid of charm through and through. Played fine, enough. No desire to break it out on a weekend.

Honestly, even Camelot's outings this gen have been pretty lackluster. Even their sports feel like somewhat hollow copies of their better titles. Outside The Show, Switch and sports don't mix as well for me. They feel like Nintendo's afterthought now.
 
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It's a good game. I would recommend it to people who are looking for their Wii Sports fix.

Having said that, I don't think Nintendo fully understand the rise of Wii era nostalgia and how to capitalize on it. I firmly believe the game would have become an even bigger hit if they hadn't de-emphasized the Miis. They're thankfully still there, but nowhere to be seen in the marketing. While there's nothing inherently wrong with the Sportsmates, people have fond memories of Miis, and there's a reason why Wii related content has blown up on social media in recent years.

I also think going so hard on online was an odd decision. "Play Globally" is the biggest and primary option on the main menu. "Play Locally" is below that. I'm not saying online shouldn't be a feature, but I don't think most casual users are interested in competing in Wii Sports online. They want to play bowling with their friends in their living room. Additionally, the unlockable cosmetics are not only time-based, but also only useful if you play as a Sportsmate - again de-emphasizing the inclusion of Miis.

I get the sense that they overthought this project to the point where they missed the mark. This is solidified by the Ask the Developer article for this game. They tried to reinvent the wheel which was completely unnecessary for this type of game.

But again, I do think it's a good game despite of that. There's fun to be had. I just think it could have left a bigger mark.
 
It definitely needed more & a little more polish. Sold, still is selling, alright. Hopefully they can fix some of these issues with a sequel.
 
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It's fun for what it is, but should've been half the price for what content there is. The FOMO online stuff is a bummer too.
Kinda crazy/funny that development was so long and they were initially being more experimental, but then it became just a worse Wii Sports. Decision probably made more sense financially, since it's selling well, but creatively it was a let down
 
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Idk I had a lot of fun. Played it a bunch for the nostalgia trip, got briefly really into the online, which was probably the first time I’d ever done that, and then me and my girlfriend started playing it and making up our own penalties and forfeits for whoever won because it was a rare game we were equally good at. I enjoyed it a lot! It comes out occasionally! I’m glad it exists!
 
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Like a lot of Nintendo's first party output this generation, it could've really benefitted from some continued support. I'll never know why stuff like this, both Mario Party games, Animal Crossing, etc. don't just have more and more content and DLC pushed out, paid or otherwise.
 
It's not 1-2-3 Switch levels of bad but it should've been a pack-in. Wii Sports worked because it was a pack-in title.

The Wii controller also generally had better motion input and IR controls than the Switch Joycons and that makes the game less fun. Similarly, the lack of focus on Miis as their kinda goofy chibi avatars to be the "you" in a Nintendo game hurts it's aesthetic as a followup to Wii Sports; Miis were a big part of the identity of Wii Sports (and something Nintendo knew; Pilotwings, Wii Fit and so on all had a focus on using Miis as your avatar. There's also a whole slew of Nintendo made games that follow the same general appeal that aren't really sport related.)
 
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Samurai Goroh said:
I would've bought it if the game had more content.
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franzen23 said:
It's fun for what it is, but should've been half the price for what content there is. The FOMO online stuff is a bummer too.
Kinda crazy/funny that development was so long and they were initially being more experimental, but then it became just a worse Wii Sports. Decision probably made more sense financially, since it's selling well, but creatively it was a let down
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People always say this and I'd like a little more clarity; what content are you looking for? What is the amount of content that equates to $50 for you? Is it a dollar per hour thing? Is it a dollar per sport thing?
 
Liked it a lot. Wish I got it digital, would prob still jump in. Sportsmates were ok
 
ngpdrew said:
People always say this and I'd like a little more clarity; what content are you looking for? What is the amount of content that equates to $50 for you? Is it a dollar per hour thing? Is it a dollar per sport thing?
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Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort had way more "training" side games, and Resort dwarfs Switch Sports in overall sports too. Also Nintendoland, although not a Sport game but still a similar type of party game, had a great amount of content.
It's not a dollar per hour thing, it's just a general feeling you get when playing the game and looking at what it offers in terms of modes, content etc.

Switch Sports just left me thinking "wait that's it?"
 
ngpdrew said:
People always say this and I'd like a little more clarity; what content are you looking for? What is the amount of content that equates to $50 for you? Is it a dollar per hour thing? Is it a dollar per sport thing?
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Thing is, Wii Sports Tennis is one of the most fun core gameplay games ever made, it's just so good. Like nearing Tetris level. Wii Bowling is a masterclass in simple game design. Golf is satisfying as hell. I've never paid for any of this before, I kinda don't mind paying £35 to access it now?
 
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Yes. It has the best netcode out of any Nintendo game and it remains super fun to play. Do not regret picking it up at all.
 
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It wasn't really a step up from the Wii Sports series, and took like a year to get golf added for some reason.

Idk Nintendo had too many "bare minimum" feeling sports games this generation, and this was just another one of those to me.
 
It’s a mechanically robust and extremely engaging game and I had a lot of fun unlocking everything over the course of a year. On average it also has the best selection of sports in the series. My main issue with it is that while I didn’t mind the focus on online play, it sadly came at the expense of the arcade-like single player content from its predecessors.

I’d say that the game was only "overhated" in the sense that people wanted it to be a "logical" sequel to Wii Sports/Resort and judged it based on that. But a lot of the criticism was warranted. Shame about the datamined sports never being added.
 
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