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| Image: Nintendo |
When Nintendo Switch Sports was revealed during the February 2022 Nintendo Direct, it was a day for celebration. A Revival of Nintendo's Wii Sports series meant we were gonna get down like it was 2006 all over again. One of the defining features of the Wii Sports games was the use of Miis, character avatars that often served as self inserts for the players to use. Miis have gone on to become a Nintendo staple with a presence on every Nintendo system since the Wii. So when the new Sportsmates were shown front in center for Nintendo Switch Sports, some fans were, how shall we say, concerned? Overreacting? Yeah, let's go with overreacting.
It was and to some extent, still is impossible to go into a conversation about Nintendo Switch Sports without the Sportsmates being derided as inferior, or lesser beings in comparison to the Miis. I've read comments from some saying "They look weird" or "They replaced Miis." As for the Sportsmates looking weird, nah, son, I'm not seeing it. I think they look perfectly fine. I have however, seen some pretty screwed up looking Miis but that hasn't sent the internet into a frenzy. And the Sportsmates never replaced the Miis in Switch Sports. During the game's reveal it was clearly shown that you could still use Miis but I guess some folks were too busy freaking out over new avatars getting some time in the spotlight to notice.
Nostalgia is one heckuva drug. Yeah, it makes you feel warm and fuzzy but it can also cloud your thinking and make you less welcoming to new things. The Miis are now 16 years old so it is only natural for gamers to be attached to them. But I do think a great deal of nostalgia is making some gamers dislike the Sportsmates.
There's an article on Game Rant that talks about an uncertain future for the Sportsmates, stating that their name prevents them from being useful in future Nintendo titles. This article is strange to me. What if Nintendo doesn't want to use the Sportsmates for other games? Just because the Miis are used for multiple games doesn't mean the Sportsmates have to follow suit. And what is to prevent the Sportsmates from being in other Nintendo games? Because they have "Sports" in the name? Really? If Nintendo does want to use the Sportsmates in other games, I doubt they are gonna let a name stop them from doing so. Like I said, that article is strange to me.
Nintendo Switch Sports as a game has also been labeled by some as not being on the same level as Wii Sports or its sequel, Wii Sports Resort. Like Wii Sports, Switch Sports has six sports to choose from, but a big fan favorite, Boxing, is nowhere to be found in Switch Sports. At least not yet, anyway. During the game's reveal, Nintendo told us Golf would be coming in the fall so I've no doubt other sports will be added to Switch Sports, Boxing probably being among them. Switch Sports seems to be following the same route that the Mario sports titles on the Switch have. That is to say, the game releases and then gets free updates as time goes on. Mario Golf: Super Rush had more courses and characters added after launch and while I immensely enjoyed the base game, the updates made it even better and I'm sure some would argue it should have hit with all of that included on day one. I'm not the biggest fan of sending out a bare bones game but at the same time, I'm not gonna say no to free content.
Back to the hate on Sportsmates, I really don't get it. It never should have been an issue to begin with since Nintendo let us know that Miis were still on the table. Nothing is preventing players from using the Miis. But perhaps the outrage over Sportsmates is coming from a vocal minority. Every time I've played online, I've been seen a plethroa of other players using Sportsmates. So maybe the Sportsmates aren't nearly as hated as they seem. Granted this is just my own personal experience but I've seen Sportsmates pop up in YouTuber videos as well so it looks like a lot of gamers are embracing them.
One thing the Sportsmates could use is some more hair options. No love for the bald people? Come on, Nintendo.
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