With the Switch 2 release happening just before the school year was over, and being able to get my hands on the console, I decided to review the games I got for the console and the games that came with the console itself. This isn’t going to be an overview of the console, as a lot of that was already covered in my preview of the console from the Nintendo Direct back in April, when Nintendo had a big showcase for the console.

Nintendo Switch 2

The Switch 2 is the latest console by Nintendo. I received an invite to purchase the console on June 10, 2025, and started using the console almost immediately after getting it, and I loved playing it right there.

The console itself is good and feels amazing! The larger console and Joy-Cons work well with my larger hands, and the mouse controls are also effective. The console’s menus and how to navigate them work well, and the usage of a mouse is also good, allowing you to navigate more easily, so you don’t wear down the joysticks and cause them to drift or move even if you don’t touch them.  While not a lot of games are released that use the mouse, the ones that do, like “Drag x Drive,” seem fun. 

The lineup is slim for first-party games, with Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza  (not including Nintendo Switch 2 edition games). There are a lot of third-party games that were released over the summer, and I heard some of them were good, but I’ve yet to play any of them.

The Mii maker’s sliders to adjust features on the Miis being pretty sensitive is the only downside I see with the console, and it isn’t that big of a downside. There’s also the fact that the battery life is low, going from 100% to 0% takes between 2 and 6.5 hours, but it varies depending on the game.

I honestly like the console despite the fact that there are a few flaws with it. I rate the console a 9.5/10 with how good it is,

Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World is the latest Mario Kart game that has been released. It is a phenomenal racing game that has been in the works for a while.

The game has intermission tracks, which have the racers go from one track to another, ending the race with one lap on the track they’re on. I personally like the intermission tracks, but also don’t mind the three-lap races either. The intermission tracks are fun to me mainly because I like going from the track “Bowser’s Castle” to the farthest track I can in the “VS Mode,” which typically causes 4 “laps” instead of the typical 3 “laps.” The soundtrack for the game is also amazing, with my favorite song in the soundtrack being the arrangement of “Slider” from Super Mario 64

I also like the knockout tours, going from place to place without stopping. I wouldn’t prefer it, though, because the Grand Prix allows breaks in between races, unlike the Knockout tour’s continuous racing. The game also just got boring at some point, mostly because I have no one to play with, but also because it’s essentially just a collecting simulator in the freeroam mode, in my opinion.

I’d recommend the game if you don’t mind any of these things, but I’d just rate it a 7/10.

Donkey Kong Bananza

Donkey Kong Bananza is the latest game in the Donkey Kong series and is the first 3D Donkey Kong game since Donkey Kong 64 in 1999. The game has you follow Donkey Kong (DK) through the underground layers to get to the planet’s core before Void Kong (the main villain) can, with Pauline by your side! On your way through the layers, DK obtains these things called “Bananza Transformations,” obtaining a Kong transformation, Zebra Bananza, and more Bananza transformations.

Quick note from after the new DK Bananza announcement: a demo for the base game has been released, and new DLC for the game was also released. I will probably review the DLC at a later date, but I can’t guarantee it.

I loved Donkey Kong Bananza, despite the fact that I haven’t played the other Donkey Kong games. The game was amazing. I loved the story and just destroying as much of the environment as I can is something I love. Going through every part of the game, collecting bananium gems, fossils, and more. There’s also clothing you can get, but I didn’t bother getting any of them. I also love the music in the game, and I would share my favorite song from the game, but I don’t wish to spoil parts of the game.

I love the game, and the exploration is amazing. I would 100% recommend this game, 10/10!

Mario Paint (originally made for the SNES)

Now I know this game was released back in 1992, but it was re-released on Nintendo Switch Online and was announced with a (in my opinion) funny announcement video over the summer. The game controls with either a USB mouse or the Switch 2 Joy-Cons. The game features a basic drawing and stamp tool, as well as a music maker, a custom stamp maker, and an animation maker. 

I mostly tried out the paint mode because the music maker is hard to work with. I made one piece of art that I screenshoted, but I plan to make more in the future. The mouse sensitivity is slow when you first boot it up, but it’s very easy to change. There’s also a fun Fly Swatting game that is good for taking a break. The game is fun, especially since I’m an artist!

Another thing that I’ve seen done is follow a Bob Ross episode, but in Mario Paint, which was done by Vargskelethor, also known as Joel, and I plan to do it at some point in the future. Also, Zion Grassl of Nintendo Life has bought and collected 100 copies of Mario Paint, and it’s an interesting idea I most definitely can’t do.

Mario Paint is a fun game that is unfortunately locked behind Nintendo Switch Online. I’d still recommend it, 10/10!

“Kirby and The Forgotten Land”’s Star-Crossed World DLC

Kirby and The Forgotten Land, thanks to the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, has gotten DLC in the form of the new Star-Crossed World levels. The game follows Kirby going to clear the trail through this new world and uncover mysteries of the meteor that crashed onto the forgotten land.

The DLC and the base game are both amazing! I loved the story of the Star-Crossed World’s DLC, and seeing new takes on the levels from the base game was cool as well. I honestly wish it were longer because it was just two levels affected per area, and they never did anything special with the bosses in the main areas, and not just relegated the boss changes to a hard boss rush. I find the whole thing kind of lackluster in terms of the number of levels.

While there is only a somewhat small number of levels, I still loved the DLC. I give the game a 9.8/10.

I’m excited for the upcoming games for the Switch 2 that have been announced from the April 2 Nintendo Direct and the September 12 Direct, and can’t wait to get them when they release!