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I gave in and bought the Switch 2 . Not for me. Well, partly for me too.
The idea was to share gaming moments with my kids. To show them the games that defined my childhood. And to relive that with them. The Switch 2 is perfect for it — you plug it into the TV to play four-player, and two minutes later you slip it in a bag to take to a friend’s place.
Mario Kart for four on the sofa
Mario Kart is the perfect family game. No need to explain the rules — everyone gets it in thirty seconds. You accelerate, you throw shells, you shout at each other.
The kids love it. So do I. A race lasts five minutes, you chain ten of them without noticing the time. It’s the kind of moment where everyone’s laughing and nobody’s looking at their phone.
Honestly, if you’re only getting one game with the Switch 2, this is the one.
Mario Bros, still as fun
I also got Mario Bros . I don’t know how many versions of this game I’ve bought in my life, but it works every time. The gameplay is accessible, the levels are well designed, and the kids can play without getting frustrated.
It takes me straight back to my afternoons in front of the NES. The level design has evolved but the pleasure is the same. Jumping on Goombas at 40 still delivers the same satisfaction. It’s the same kind of regressive pleasure as when I build a LEGO on a Sunday afternoon.
Mortal Kombat and the fatalities
Right, this one’s more for me than for the kids. Mortal Kombat on Switch 2, the fatalities, the blood, the gloriously gory finishers. It brings back memories of school breaks where you’d pass around fatality codes written on scraps of paper.
The game hasn’t lost its charm. It’s over-the-top, it’s excessive, it’s unapologetic. A great way to unwind after a long day at work.
Street Fighter 6, more technical than I remembered
Street Fighter 6 surprised me. I was expecting to slip back into my Street Fighter II muscle memory. Not at all. The game has become very technical. The combos, the timing, the drive system — you need to invest real time before you start having fun.
What surprised me were the three control modes. There’s the classic mode (the one I knew), a simplified mode, and an assist mode where AI helps with the moves. Back in my day there was only classic mode, no choice. You learned the quarter-circles or you lost. Smart move by Capcom to open the game up to all skill levels.
A console you take everywhere
What I love about the Switch 2 is this double life. In the evening we play on the TV in couch mode, four players with the detached controllers. At the weekend we take it to friends’ places and fire up Mario Kart on the garden table.
Switching between modes is seamless. You pull the console out of the dock and carry on your game in your hands. It changes the way you play. Video games are no longer stuck in the living room — they come with you.
For a family console, it’s the ideal format. The kids play in the car, I play in bed at night, and at the weekend we all gather in front of the TV. Everyone gets what they want 🎮
The accessories I picked up
With four people on the sofa, the detached Joy-Cons quickly show their limits. I added a Pro Controller for long Street Fighter sessions — much more comfortable than the little controllers.
To carry the console without trashing it, a carrying case and a tempered glass screen protector are money well spent when you have kids who throw everything in the bag.
One last thing not to overlook: the Switch 2 requires a microSD Express card , not a regular microSD. Games are large and the internal storage fills up fast. Better to buy it at the same time as the console.
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