Alongside the time that Switch has been available.
All sorts of news has been overwhelming.
At first, there was only a small buzz in the early stages, with Nebula Games' loyal fans paying the most attention to Switch.
This was mainly due to the power of good word-of-mouth.
This is the reputation that Nebula Games has built up over the years.
Just like Valve in my past life making controllers, VR, and handheld consoles, there are fans buying everything.
Of course, this only determines a minimum. How high the maximum of a device can be depends not on fans, but on the general public.
And Switch's unique, irreplaceable qualities, along with its not-too-expensive price, have made many players who were on the fence want to buy it after seeing it.
However, once these players decided to buy, they found that it was impossible to get one.
The second batch of Switch consoles had a shipment of 150,000 units, and like the initial launch, they were instantly sold out in almost a second.
Even though Lucas wasn't trying to create artificial scarcity and had issued a notice stating that a large batch of stock would arrive at the end of June.
But this couldn't stop the anxious players.
Moreover, in such a situation, the popularity of Switch only grew higher.
This is mainly due to a human psychological effect.
When something isn't in short supply, you don't pay much attention to it or care about it.
Because you can buy it whenever you want.
But now that Switch is completely sold out, it's making countless players feel restless.
They refresh related Switch content every day.
And once they start looking, they can't stop.
The more they look, the more they want it, and the more they want it, the more they pay attention to it. This directly turns into a perpetual motion machine.
At the same time, the Switch exclusive game "Super Mario: Odyssey" has added fuel to the fire.
For players who have bought a Switch, they definitely want to buy games.
Among them, the two exclusive games "Animal Crossing" and "Super Mario: Odyssey" are naturally the players' first choices.
But currently, more players are focusing on "Super Mario: Odyssey" because, in terms of gameplay, this game is richer.
And just as players thought, gameplay is the most crucial core of this game.
Countless players can't put it down once they start playing.
Throughout the game, every player feels like they've found the feeling of playing a game for the first time.
It seems like every place on the map hides hidden items, driving them to explore.
When they reach a new challenge, they always think about completing the challenge before quitting the game.
But they end up playing for most of the night.
Of course, there are actually many easter eggs in the game that players can't understand.
For example, in the festival level in the Metro Kingdom, Mario's ex-girlfriend Pauline reappears after 36 years, and the level recreates the design of the original Donkey Kong, which, combined with Pauline's song 'Jump Up, Super Star!', is full of nostalgia.
However, even though players can't understand the easter eggs, the simple gameplay and levels can still surprise them.
The switching between 3D and 2D, the conversion between high definition and pixel art, this feeling of time travel delights many players.
After all, the nostalgia factor only accounts for a portion of the over 20 million sales of "Super Mario: Odyssey" in my past life.
More important is the design of the game "Super Mario: Odyssey" itself.
And it's all high scores across the board.
Although the game console and games haven't been released overseas yet.
But obviously, many overseas media outlets have been paying attention.
For example, GameSpot, a well-known top-tier media outlet in the industry overseas, conducted a review of "Super Mario: Odyssey" as soon as possible.
'Open world? No, it's a box garden world.'
'If we're talking about open world, then Nebula Games should be the company that understands this type of game the most. "Red Dead Redemption" showed everyone that games can be made like this!'
'But Odyssey is different. While Atari, NetDragon, SkyNova, and other game companies in the industry are advancing towards open worlds, Nebula Games has adopted a box garden world design for "Super Mario: Odyssey". Of course, this may just be due to the limitations of the machine's power.'
'But one thing you have to admit is that this design is simply perfect to the extreme. There are no large maps that stun players, but only a dozen independent, small to medium-sized areas.'
'The gameplay is also based on these areas. The level and puzzle designs in the game are like tacks pinned to the corners of these maps.'
'If it were just like this, then it would only be an excellent game, and it couldn't bear such a high score, but its level design is unique.'
'The adventures hidden in the corners are strange and varied, and there are an astonishing number of collectibles.'
'Notes, unlocking mechanisms, jumping, racing, collecting coins, jump rope, remote control cars test the player's skills and imagination from all angles, and the fun of many things can even surpass the main story.'
'Even in the game, players will experience levels that change from 3D to 2D. Such a level with a switch in the times makes you marvel at the creativity of this game.'
'In addition, the game perfectly explains what is called the lighthouse effect. In the game, players need to collect some specific things, and these things are not directly hidden in the game, and may even be placed in front of the player.'
'It's just to get you to collect them, and when you go to collect them, you will find that when you reach a new place, you have found other clues, as they shine brightly, like lighthouses in the vast sea.'
'The levels in the game are full of strong psychological cues, allowing players to always discover new things.'
'After repeating this, the players become used to it, which leads to the fact that even if there are no lighthouses in subsequent levels, players will still habitually explore and search.'
'The thing that players think about the most in this game should be whether I have missed any moons and currencies here and whether I have collected everything in the previous level?'
'In addition, the hat possession setting in the game has made the fun of the entire game skyrocket.'
'Combined with the use of motion controls, this makes Odyssey a perfect match for the Switch.'
'If you want to choose a game that can perfectly utilize the characteristics of the Switch and is interesting enough, then Odyssey would be the best choice!'
The consistently high scores made some players who hadn't bought a Switch even more anxious.
Of course, domestic players are a little better off.
Because Lucas said on his official blog that there would be a large batch of stock at the end of June and the beginning of July, at least the chance of grabbing one is still very high.
But overseas players are different.
Before, although there was information about Switch and games like "Super Mario: Odyssey" online.
But anyway, they don't understand Chinese, so it's okay as long as they don't intentionally try to understand it.
But now what is GameSpot's review doing!?
Countless overseas players directly said they were breaking down.
These high-scoring reviews have directly stirred up their desires.
And there's still no sign of the overseas version of Switch and "Super Mario: Odyssey"!
Nebula Games hasn't made any promises to overseas players.
But obviously, GameSpot's reviews of the game have indirectly drawn a huge picture pie for overseas players, and it's a very traditional one.
Because you have no idea when you'll be able to eat it.
(End of The Chapter)
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