Nintendo Switch 2 First Impressions - Kinda Funny Gamescast

Summary

Kinda Funny Gamescast: Video Game Podcast – "Nintendo Switch 2 First Impressions"

Release Date: June 5, 2025
Hosts: Tim Gettys, Greg “GameOverGreggy” Miller, Blessing Adeoye Jr., and Andy Cortez

---

1. First Impressions of the Nintendo Switch 2

The episode kicks off with the hosts sharing their initial experiences with the Nintendo Switch 2, gathered over the first 24 hours of use. Tim Gettys sets the stage, mentioning that they've been playing games like Mario Kart World extensively since the launch day.

Tim Gettys [01:17]:

"This is going to be kind of our first impressions of our time with the Switch 2 thus far... just hanging out with each other."

Blessing Adeoye Jr. recounts the excitement surrounding their live streams and the community engagement that accompanied the console's launch.

Blessing Adeoye Jr. [01:51]:

"Roger and Joey stuck it out all the way till Games Daily. So that's very, very impressive to keep that Nintendo Switch 2 launch stream going."

---

2. Hardware and Design

The hosts delve into the physical aspects of the Switch 2, noting subtle design upgrades and ergonomic changes. Blessing highlights the system's build quality and aesthetic improvements.

Blessing Adeoye Jr. [04:30]:

"Based on the system itself... I'm impressed. I think it's a really nice build of the system."

Barrett Courtney echoes this sentiment, appreciating the sleekness and premium feel of the new design, although noting it feels more like an incremental upgrade rather than a revolutionary change.

Barrett Courtney [08:00]:

"It feels like a 1.5 in a way... nothing is truly blowing my mind. Holy shit. This is crazy."

---

3. Performance and Load Times

Performance enhancements are a significant point of discussion. Blessing observes improved load times and overall system responsiveness, though acknowledges they aren’t as instantaneous as competitor devices like the Rog Ally.

Blessing Adeoye Jr. [05:00]:

"The speed at which it moves... load times... It's a little bit longer, but it's not bad."

Tim notes the transition from the Switch 1’s limitations, emphasizing that the Switch 2 meets modern gaming standards with 4K support and smoother UI transitions.

Tim Gettys [10:30]:

"The frame rate stuff is great... overall I'm thrilled with it."

---

4. Mario Kart World Review

A substantial portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing "Mario Kart World," showcasing their gameplay experiences and features.

Greg Miller [27:44]:

"Mario Kart World run on a TV and we're playing it in two player split screen in the smoothest FPS... there's a level of chaos at play that I think does bring Mario Kart forward."

The hosts appreciate the game's expansive multiplayer features, chaotic race dynamics, and the open-world elements that differentiate it from previous iterations.

Barrett Courtney [38:15]:

"The online capabilities... it just felt so chaotic, and I didn't really feel a rhythm of being in first and then being brought back to 24th."

They also discuss the free roam mode, Knockout Tour, and how these new modes enhance replayability and community interaction.

Tim Gettys [43:01]:

"The open world is very well designed and so interesting. And I think that we are just scratching the surface of what we're going to find."

---

5. Online Capabilities and Multiplayer

The Switch 2's enhanced online functionality is lauded, with the hosts noting seamless multiplayer experiences and improved matchmaking.

Barrett Courtney [38:15]:

"The online capabilities... and, like, it's so well done and so seamless."

Greg highlights how the improved online features can sustain the game's longevity, similar to how "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" remains popular years after its release.

Greg Miller [50:04]:

"This game delivering on what they've pitched it as what I think it needs to be. And I'm having such a good time with it."

---

6. Controller Feedback

The new Pro Controller 2 is another focal point, with mixed feedback on its ergonomics and functionality. While some appreciate the enhanced feel, others find it larger and more cumbersome compared to previous models.

Tim Gettys [18:38]:

"I love the Pro Controller 2. I think it's a substantial improvement over the Switch 1 controller."

Barrett Courtney [19:35]:

"It might be a little too... feel longer, feel a bit more awkward."

---

7. Future Expectations and Upcoming Events

Looking ahead, the hosts express excitement for upcoming content and events such as the Summer Game Fest and the Xbox Showcase. Greg anticipates discussing new game releases and behind-the-scenes insights from his time in LA.

Greg Miller [03:34]:

"We'll talk about all the games that he gets to play and see Behind Closed Doors."

Tim encourages listeners to engage via YouTube Super Chat for questions and invites support through the Kinda Funny membership program.

Tim Gettys [06:00]:

"If you have any questions for us, please, YouTube super chat them in and we'll get to those throughout the show."

---

8. Final Thoughts

In their concluding remarks, the hosts summarize their positive experiences with the Switch 2, emphasizing its role as a solid iterative upgrade rather than a complete overhaul. They appreciate Nintendo's focus on enhancing existing features to meet modern gaming demands without alienating long-time fans.

Tim Gettys [55:53]:

"Mario Kart is what it needs to succeed at... This game is succeeding at something that not any game can pull off. And yet it's because of Mario."

Greg and Barrett commit to continuing their engagement with both "Mario Kart World" and classic titles like "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe," ensuring that the Switch 2 caters to a broad spectrum of gaming preferences.

Greg Miller [54:14]:

"I'm locked the fuck in in this Mario Kart... I'm locked the fuck in."

---

Notable Quotes:

• Blessing Adeoye Jr. [04:30]:
  "I'm impressed. I think it's a really nice build of the system."

• Barrett Courtney [38:15]:
  "All of that is so well done and so seamless."

• Greg Miller [27:44]:
  "There's a level of chaos at play that I think does bring Mario Kart forward."

• Tim Gettys [56:21]:
  "This game is succeeding at something that not any game can pull off. And yet it's because of Mario."

---

Conclusion:

The "Nintendo Switch 2 First Impressions" episode of Kinda Funny Gamescast offers a comprehensive and enthusiastic exploration of Nintendo's latest console. The hosts provide balanced insights into the hardware improvements, game performance, and new features introduced with the Switch 2. Their discussions highlight the console's strengths in enhancing beloved franchises like Mario Kart while acknowledging areas for future refinement. For listeners eager to understand the early reception of the Switch 2, this episode serves as a valuable and engaging resource.

Transcript

[Tim Geddes]

This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two factor authentication, strong passwords and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it and they might not be as careful. That's why Lifelock monitors hundreds of millions.

[Greg Miller]

Of data points a second for threats.

[Tim Geddes]

If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com podcast for 40% off terms apply. What's up and welcome back to the Kinda Funny Games cast for the Nintendo Switch 2 launch day celebration. It is June 5, 2025. I'm your host Tim Geddes. I'm joined today by Greg Miller. Hello Tim Barrett, Courtney. What up blessing? Adeoya Jr. Good day. Tim and Andy Cortez. Wahoo. We're on a different set, a big set. The couch set on the video wall set because we've been playing Mario Kart all day. Playing the Nintendo Switch 2. Greg popped into fantasy life just a little bit. Let's play a little bit of that Hitman. Couple other things as well as all.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

The wi fi work. Why isn't this updating? Why can't I get on the Internet?

[Andy Cortez]

Very worrisome.

[Tim Geddes]

Yeah, Andy got his today. But yeah, this is going to be kind of our first impressions of our time with the Switch 2 thus far. Telling our little stories and all of that stuff. Of course the next week is going to be filled with a lot of Switch 2 coverage. Our deeper thoughts Next week we will be doing a more proper review of Mario Kart World once we have a little bit more extensive time with it. But this is our first 24 hours with the console, with the games and just hanging out with each other.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You know, we acquired the stream last night.

[Tim Geddes]

It was a great stream. Great stream. Lots of adventures. Lots of fun though.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Round of applause. Joey and Roger taking that late night shift. If you're unaware, we went live at 6 7.45pm last night so that Roger and Nick could welcome you. Kick it to us over at the Nintendo Store. Shout out to Kevin for filming. Even though he forgot a tripod. He held that camera the entire time he was up with it. And then we came back and played. And then when we all started leaving, me and Tim at midnight, I heard Fran and Nick were here until 3am Roger and Joey stuck it out all the way till Games Daily. So that's very, very impressive to keep that Nintendo Switch 2 launch stream going.

[Tim Geddes]

And speeding Games Daily blessed. And I did an episode today that I highly recommend watching. It is one of those gas leak episode types. So if you enjoy Kinda Funny It's a Special Day. I think you're gonna like it. Yes, it is a special day. It's been a lot of fun, Barrett.

[Barrett Courtney]

And then something else as well. I saved my first time for Mario Kart World on my own just because I wanted it to be an intimate moment. And so I recorded that first hour of me playing Mario Kart World which you can check out now on the videos tab, YouTube.com kind of funny games.

[Tim Geddes]

Go check that out. For sure I will be watching later but this is the kind of funny gamescast. Each and every weekday we get together to talk about video games and all the things we love about them. There's a lot to love right now between the Switch launch and Summer Game Fest. Of course tomorrow we will be doing our live reactions to Summer Game Fest and then our gamescast post show breakdown to all of that. Hopefully we get some fun stuff announced and then of course on Sunday we'll be reacting to the Xbox Showcase and doing the same damn thing. Greg's going to be down in LA playing a whole bunch of games so the next week he'll be able to talk about all the games that he gets to play and see Behind Closed Doors. I feel like that's actually some of the cooler stuff.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I have a lot of appointments booked that are just bcd. You don't know what you're seeing. You don't know.

[Tim Geddes]

Thinking back the last couple years it's like you know Armored Core and Mortal Kombat 1 like, like those were like Behind Closed Doors special so who knows what's going to happen this time. But yeah, we're an 11 person business all about live talk shows. You already know that and if you know that you probably like it. And if you like it, you should support us with the kind of funny membership it gets you. The show's ad free and you get a daily exclusive. Greg Way Today I'm doing the Greg Way and I forgot to do it earlier because I've been sitting here playing Switch so I'm have to do that later. It will go up though at some point. And thank you to our Patreon producers Carl Jacobs, Omega Buster and Delaney Twining. Today we are brought to you by Xrael but we'll tell you about that later. Let's start with the topic of the.

[Greg Miller]

Show.

[Tim Geddes]

Which two it's upon us. Yep, we've been playing it a lot. Greg.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Tim Geddes]

What are your initial overall thoughts?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I Mean, my initial thought is, like, this is such a weird setup for you hosting. Cause you're like behind me. Like, I don't know, the depth perception shows to the audience of how far back you are.

[Tim Geddes]

And shout out to Cole. You too.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, Cole didn't get introduced, but he's having a great time.

[Tim Geddes]

Hey, Cole. He's so just quiet and doesn't move. Yeah, I don't understand it. My dogs would be insane.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, I mean, he's just very nervous whenever he's at the studio. And so the couches are a big get for him. You know what I mean? He won't come in here usually. That's why when we do a games daily with him, he's in his bag behind me. Usually.

[Andy Cortez]

Exposure therapy. You gotta.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Exactly. Now he's there. Kevin, go to the 1. Go to the shot you had before and then hit the fog. Cause we gotta expose him to that.

[Barrett Courtney]

Jesus.

[Tim Geddes]

Foreign.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

It's working. See, he was very concerned, but he didn't flip out. Huh?

[Barrett Courtney]

I was saying, Andy, what kind of therapy is it?

[Andy Cortez]

No, you. Well, I mean, he's gonna turn this around on me.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

No, what did you say?

[Andy Cortez]

I said exposure therapy.

[Barrett Courtney]

Okay.

[Tim Geddes]

No, that's perfect.

[Barrett Courtney]

I heard explosion therapy, which made sense with the fog.

[Tim Geddes]

So I didn't know if you had planned that out. You like. Let's just go in.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Greg, My first impressions here of The Nintendo Switch 2 are mainly built around Mario Kart World, right? You figure. We got back with it yesterday, started streaming that beforehand. We'd gotten ours from Nintendo early in the morning yesterday. We were able to start downloads, but not actually play anything because of the content we were making. Plus, it was all just older stuff. So based on world, the system itself, I mean, like, everything's going on. I'm impressed. Like, I'm very happy with the Nintendo Switch 2. I didn't doubt that I would be. I didn't think I'd regret buying one or whatever. So weird to turn the spar back around. It looks normal, I guess there, but. Yeah, no, I'm super into it. I think it's a really nice build of the system. Again, there was so much talk in the lead up to this of like, oh, man, it's just an incremental update. Oh, it's not this blah, blah, blah. Like, I understand that. And I understand when we're looking at the UI and holding it and like, this all feels very reminiscent of the Switch one, but the speed at which it moves, which you could just say the switch should have always moved at, but Whatever the store, the load times again, you know, for somebody who's playing fantasy Life, like, I was very interested in a game that has nearly instantaneously loads on the Rog Ally. How would that feel here? It's a little bit longer, but it's not bad. It's not to where I would call it out as an actual con or anything. Right. Like, it feels good. Mario Kart as a game feels good. And I know we'll talk about that extensively, but like the fluidity of moving from that main menu to free roam from anything there. We were talking in streaming. Right. Of cool. We're all just joining on Kevin or Barrett in terms of our friends list. And then it was all right, well, let's make it public. And it was. These were just done. It was just out there. It wasn't like a big to do. Which I think when I think of Nintendo Online, when I think of how they've been behind before, I think it's going to be a big to do. The game itself, super impressive. We can talk about that. But in general, top level for basically 12 hours, whatever you want to call it, 24 hours with the Switch or whatever. I'm impressed and I'm very excited to get home tonight and have one on one time with it.

[Tim Geddes]

Yes, as am I. If you have any questions for us, please, YouTube super chat them in and we'll get to those throughout the show. Barrett, Courtney, I can't get a good eyeline with you, but what are your initial thoughts on the Switch 2?

[Barrett Courtney]

Tougher to say right now, just because I've had even less time at this point. Right. I went to Best Buy last night. Shout out to Kev, who joins me and shout out to John, aka FilipinoMamamba in the chat, who we ran into last night. And so last night I came back here, helped y' all with the stream a little bit. Didn't really unpack my Switch 2 or like even really get a moment with it until I got home at like midnight or something like that. Downloaded a bunch of games and then didn't really play anything substantial until this morning playing Mario Kart World. So at least with first impressions of the Switch 2 itself, it feels like a. Like a 1, like a great 1.5 in a way. Like not quite so a 2, not so much of a. Like, holy shit, this is a new experience. And I don't think that's what the Switch 2 needs to be per se. But I'm not like, I don't have like the giddy feeling of like poking around and all this stuff. When it comes to the hardware. Yeah. You know, it itself. And now the hardware itself runs great. The Nintendo Store actually functions. You know, the game card feature that we saw like you and Kevin playing around with like literally just a couple minutes ago, that stuff is cool. But it all feels a little bit like. It feels like for 2025, I feel like this is the base, you know, like this is what we should have.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I feel like there's a lot of that going around where we talk about it, like, oh man. Like last night we were joking around Fran of like how good Mario Kart looked when it was split screen or one player. Like, yeah, this is great. And it's funny that we're giving Nintendo flowers for something that theoretically should have happened last generation as well.

[Barrett Courtney]

Exactly. And so when it comes to the hardware side, like, the feel of it is good. I do love the how sleek it feels. It weirdly feels thinner and stuff like that. Just like the feel of the console, even though I don't think it's technically thinner, it feels definitely more premium. But again, I think all of that being an iteration upon hardware that we've known for the last eight years, at this point, nothing is truly blowing my mind. Holy shit. This is crazy. And with the little time I've had with Mario Kart World, everything you said so far, Gregy has been. I echo that of handling the online stuff. All of that seems so much better. And then in terms of Mario Kart as a game, I feel like I'm too early in to really say anything. I will say the game card stuff is already kind of confusing with Switch 1 and Switch 2 versions because I didn't realize I bought the Switch 1 version of Deltarune last night. But it was nice that you get the Switch 2 version for free if you bought Deltarune Switch 1 version. So I was able to just download that. So already getting a little bit confusing with that kind of stuff. But I'm happy with it. I'm having a good time so far.

[Tim Geddes]

Blast.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. I think it's a really interesting question to ask as far as first impressions for Switch 2. Cause I don't know how to give a non boring answer because I'm like cool as I'm playing the Switch 2. It is to what Barrett mentioned. Right. It feels like a 1.5 in a way. And what Greg mentioned. Right. This is way more of an iterative. Like this is not a. From the ground up. Let's do something different. It is very much.

[Barrett Courtney]

All right.

[Greg Miller]

We did Switch one. What do we need to do to make this thing better in all the ways that people expect and want and desire out of this thing? Because we know what people want. People want the Switch two, and. And for all the things they made better. I'm enjoying all that stuff. Right. I like the feel of the Joy cons. I like how much better Mario Kart looks and feels in this generation. And I think jumping into the software itself is going to be such a big conversation as far as why Mario Kart World is exciting itself. But sticking to the Switch hardware, waking up this morning and finally getting a chance to look through it and play with it a little bit, hopping into the GameCube stuff, popping open Soul Calibur, too, and being like, damn, this is here. Like, this is really nice to have. Going through the Nintendo Eshop and seeing how smoothly and quickly it runs now with this improved version, I'm like, man, I absolutely love this. Seeing how the wish list and having the feature of, like, you know, getting notified when, like, your wish list items are on sale and stuff like that, it's, like, cool. These are all the steps that I want to see being made to make my Nintendo experience that much better. But it's not necessarily like, I'm not sitting here feeling the same way I felt with the Switch one, nor do I expect that, because that's. It's impossible for it to give me that. I think the thing that I am more excited about is just it being the start of a new generation. Right. Like, thinking about the Nintendo philosophy of, like, one big franchise title each generation. We know we're gonna get a big new Zelda. We know we're gonna get a big new Mario. We know we're gonna get a big new Mario Kart, a big new Metroid, like, all these things, big new Donkey Kong. Yeah. And like, to be back in the stage where now I'm like, damn, I can't wait to see what the 3D Mario is like. For me, that's what fills me with excitement, is now the races have officially started with that and being with a. Having a hardware that is a bit more tuned for a. I guess, more modernized, more up to date technically, as much as you can with the handheld thing. Right. Version of that. That gets me excited. But, yeah, as far as my impressions with the Switch 2 itself, I'm like, it's a nicer Switch, and I'm happy with that.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

Why did you just fist pump a little while ago?

[Greg Miller]

I fist pumped. Oh. Because this challenge that I've been working on for the last, you know, the challenge I was doing on the stream.

[Tim Geddes]

The wall jumping one.

[Greg Miller]

The wall jumping one. Yeah. I finally beat it.

[Andy Cortez]

And I legitimately saw Tiger woods like.

[Greg Miller]

I was doing that for the entire episode. Just feeling, filling, failing and I finally made it.

[Tim Geddes]

I love that. Andy, I know you've had, I think, the most limited experience so far with the Switch 2.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah. But I just love the way the hardware feels. And I am, it's still the most excited I've been because I think that these games have deserved so much more for such a long time.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Can't wait to get back that Pokemon.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh my gosh. Like, so it's. It's really awesome that even the games that don't have these enhanced ports or whatever, you are seeing a lot of games that either had maybe unlocked frame rate from the jump, but you were still getting 27 frames or 32 frames or whatever, 38, whatever it may be. But now the power of the Switch 2 is just brute forcing them into. You don't even have to down. You didn't even get the new version of the thing. But now it's just running on better hardware, so you are getting a higher frame rate. You are seeing a lot of different titles kind of just get helped out and brought into a newer generation. And as somebody who's such like a visual snob, I'm just so pumped to see these Zelda games running the way that they deserve to run. You know, without stutters and without, you know, looking really fuzzy in certain moments. Even busting out Pokemon Violet on your Switch last night, Tim was still really awesome to see. Just like, oh my God, this is how it always should have been. The rocks still look like garbage. A lot of that is just a rushed development process, but holy shit, it doesn't run like ass anymore. But yeah, I was really worried at the start. My WI FI wasn't working and we hardwired it in, downloaded an update and was able to get WI Fi working now. So that was very scary at first. I was about to like, hey, I have Elden Ring Night Raid and I have a lot of other stuff I can be playing. Anyway, I'll set this down for a couple of weeks and worry about the warranty process later.

[Barrett Courtney]

That is the one nice significant difference between the Switch 2 launch and now. I remember very distinctly goldfarb back at IGN when the Switch 1 was launching and it was like the. The day after the first night, he was like, I set my Switch 1 on top of my router and it still took Alt Night to download Breath of the Wild. So being able to have like the. The hardwired stuff in is great.

[Tim Geddes]

This, yeah. Built in the dock. That is very, very nice because, yeah, that's the WI FI chips in the Switch. I haven't really had to experience so much with Switch 2 yet, but Switch 1, even the OLED one was not good at all.

[Andy Cortez]

Very pumped to plug it into my alienware OLED tonight and really start to see exactly where the upgrades sort of come through.

[Tim Geddes]

Yeah, pumped.

[Barrett Courtney]

Timba, how about yourself? What are you feeling?

[Tim Geddes]

I am just so happy it's here. You know, we've been waiting forever. We've talked about the Switch Pro, we've been talking about the Switch 2, like all of this for so many years at this point. And the Switch is, I would say, my main gaming console. And I hate that because I, like Andy, also really care about the tech and visuals of games and those things just do not play nice together. I'm very happy that so far my experience is what I expected it to be from the Switch 2 of games running so much better. Zelda games, Pokemon, all of that. And even just the little things of the UI being in 4k, even on the handheld in 1080p, like all these little things add up so much. The frame rate stuff is great and yeah, overall I'm thrilled with it. It is also, yeah, it is iterative. But I'm so happy about that. Like, I'm almost. I'm excited that I'm not excited about this. Like, it's just. This is just what it needed to be because if they tried to do something different, I feel like it really would have missed the mark. And now I'm just kind of like, I can rest assured that Pokemon, Zaw and Metroid Prime 4, I'm going to be playing them and I'm not going to be like, oh, I wish it was somewhere else. I'm going to be happy with it. And that would not have been the case otherwise.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, just kind of go carrying on that thought. But going back to what I was saying earlier of like not being like kind of like, holy shit, excited. Like, this is doing enough for me to like have the Switch family, right? Be like my kind of my main playing place now, you know, and bringing me back because it was. I was not really playing my Switch one a lot for the last year or so. Right. And so, like, this is going to bring me back even for third party stuff, right. Like, I am. When Tony Hawk comes around, I am thinking about, like, even though it might be sacrilege a little bit to play it on Switch 2 instead of like PS5 or something like that, you end.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Up getting both codes. That's what you end up doing.

[Tim Geddes]

Yeah, I mean, I'm definitely going to buy it on both, but that's because I care about that stuff. And yeah, like, it's going to run great on the Switch too. Like, I know it's going to run great on the Switch too. And I can't believe that because on Switch 1 it was locked at 30, and that's not good for a Tony Hawk game. So again, it's more just like the going forward, knowing I'm going to be good for the games, that makes me excited. But then also, like, looking back for old games that I have been looking for reasons to go back to, like Breath of the Wild and specifically tears of cleaning up shrines and stuff. But even Mario Odyssey, like, there's going to be things that when I'm on a plane and I have nothing else to do, I'm going to want to do that and it's going to actually work. Having said that, there are things about it that I am bummed about. Like, the screen is very nice. I would put it up there with the PlayStation Portal and it's not OLED, but it doesn't need to be. It's totally fine, but I still really wish it was oled. And last night I was playing for hours in my bed and I'm just like, God, this is good, but it could be better.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, I had the experience last night when I was doing the system transfer of picking up my OLED switch and, like, doing the thing. And as I'm going through my OLED switch, I'm looking at the OLED screen right next to my Switch to screen. I'm like, shit, Tim's right. OLED just changes things, man.

[Tim Geddes]

It just changes things. And again, like, that's the level that I'm nitpicking at with this. I'm very, very happy with it. I love the Pro Controller 2. I love the feeling of it. I think it's a substantial improvement over the Switch 1 controller, which I also really enjoyed. I do not think it's a necessary buy for people, but I think it is necessary to have some form of Pro Controller for sure for the Switch, because I have never been a fan of the Joy Cons and I will never be a fan of JoyCons and the Joy Con twos do not change any of that. And on top of that, like, the Switch 2. My first impressions. A lot of this can change and adapt over time, and I'll keep you all updated. But is it too big? It might be too big.

[Barrett Courtney]

It might be a little too. Specifically, just like the height of the Joy Cons. Because I like the. I like the size of the screen. Right. But with you saying like never liking the Joy Cons, it's one of those, like, they feel more expensive, but almost because they feel longer, they feel a bit more awkward.

[Tim Geddes]

Yeah. And maybe it's because it's fresh and I'm not used to a lot of things, but even the Rumble doesn't feel quite right to me. And again, I'm so used to how it feels in the Joy Con ones and the first Pro controller, so maybe that'll change.

[Barrett Courtney]

Do you have a Steam Deck?

[Tim Geddes]

I do.

[Barrett Courtney]

How much like, are you playing on the Steam deck? Because. Okay, so even compared to the Steam deck, you feel like it's a. Oh, no, no.

[Tim Geddes]

The Steam deck's way heavier and how thin this is, I think also kind of just changes like the weight distribution.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Of it all too economics.

[Tim Geddes]

But yeah, it's just. There's. There's something about. It just seems very, very big. Clearly there will be iterations on this and I'm excited to see what they end up going with, like what the. The light version looks like and wherever we get. But yeah, a lot of that stuff is just like, not really that big of an issue to me. Like, I'm excited to go home and keep playing it. I haven't really had the experience of playing it on my TV yet. Like the theater experience, like, that's going to be what I'm really looking forward to. And also just having more time. Had a crazy day yesterday. We were at the Nintendo Store, so we couldn't really play. Then we get back here. Played a little bit of like multiplayer with everyone, but no hdr. Like it was a. A limited experience. And then I went home and I. I played in bed for about an hour and I loved that. And then I Woke up at 6am today because I was so excited. I played a whole bunch more and I'm just like, oh yeah, dude. Like, I'm. I'm very happy with this. It's just not. It doesn't feel like the big biggest step forward. And if you're not a Nintendo fan, this is not for you at all.

[Andy Cortez]

It's honestly what I want that you mentioning about not being excited that you're not super excited that it's not a brand new thing. I Am totally right there with you. I would have been so bummed out if they just moved on to something else and left all of these. This amazing library on an old platform that didn't run or look as good. I would have been so sad if it wasn't just this, like, you could say iterative bump, but like we're talking about a chipset from 2015 or some bullshit and it was just so dated on the. Or wait, yeah, 2015 Switch came out in 2017. Those games are just not being done justice. And it's just I'm. I think with me right now, as somebody who isn't like a Ride or Die Mario Kart fan, I want to play it and I'm hoping to get really, really into it. And I know that some people who said, hey, if you're expecting this massive Forza experience, it's a little bit of a watered down version of that, but you'll still have fun with it. I think if there were a big title released with it similar to Breath of the Wild or something like that, I think that would have done a lot more for me to have this newer thing. But I'm still equally as excited to go back and look at the things that run. Awesome. Because I. That's one of my favorite things to do in my free time is just do the Coke Pepsi Challenge and see the differences in visuals and frame rate and smoothness.

[Barrett Courtney]

Breath of the Wild for both of you. Like seeing that on a big screen is like fucking. It's breathtaking. It's awesome.

[Tim Geddes]

Mellow Fellow in the chat says, doesn't that say something about how bad the Switch one was then? Obviously, yes, the Switch one's underpowered. We know that the Switch one also has some of the best games of all time and I feel like everyone here would agree about that. Yeah, my thing with the switch to switch two and comparing it even to PS4 to PS5, it's like, yeah, the PS5 is incredibly stronger than the PS4. Do we see that? Did we see that at launch? Do we see that now even? Like in some ways, absolutely. But like, otherwise most of the games are on both. And sure, it does have better resolution and better, better, better. But it's like you don't really need that stuff. The Switch needed to get to 4K. It needed to be able to get to 60 frames per second. Like that is the requirements for playing games these days. And I think that because of that we're at a different place where Nintendo games, I have trust in them that they are Going to run well. Mario Kart 8 ran incredibly well and it looked beautiful. Odyssey on the switch one. Yeah, so many examples. But now it's 4K. Now it's just like it's hitting the standards it has to hit. And so because of that, I'm just like, yeah, I'm very happy.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And that's where I'd want to step in, I think, and just counteract one of the things you said. You said, if you're not a Nintendo fan, this isn't for you. And I really don't know if that's accurate because Switch is my least played platform. Switch one was, and it would be. There's a number of reasons for that. I think our job dictates what we play in a lot of ways. Because you're reviewing stuff and since Nintendo does no bit, I'm not doing a bit. Only give us one review code. It often means that I'm not on the review for Pokemon or I'm not on the review for Zelda, so I'll pick it up later. But then it's competing with the games I'm trying to review in the same way for full clarity. Like, Switch two is gonna get an awesome weekend with me and then I'm gonna come back and I'm gonna go, holy shit, I gotta play Death Stranding 2. And I really have to just no life that to make embargo for that. And so for me, I'm so excited that I love this hardware so far. And granted this is, you know, could easily be, you know, I mean, still in the new car lot here. I haven't rolled it off the parking lot. Right. But I love how it feels, I love how it looks. I'm excited to take it on a plane. I am a mobile gamer, I am a handheld gamer and so to do that. But then also have this library built out for me of. I never did Link's Awakening. I started Echoes of Wisdom, but I stopped because I didn't do Link's Awakening. When I started Link's Awakening, it ran so poorly. I was like, are you fucking kidding me? And I knew this was coming. So Link's Awakening is going to the front of the line tonight when Ben is asleep for me to sit down on my giant TV and play it. Because when it wasn't in motion, it was very pretty on my tv. I'd love to know what it looks like now, right? Finishing off Pokemon, doing these things. Like, I feel like if you skip Switch one, I think there are so many amazing games. Like you're Saying they're locked in there.

[Tim Geddes]

Yeah, absolutely. Just real quick clarifying that in two different ways. One I mainly talk about at launch, I'm saying like, if you're not a Nintendo guy and you're just like, it's just Mario Kart. Yeah, it is. Like that's.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I think that's looking past the Switch 1 library.

[Tim Geddes]

Absolutely. But I mean, I still feel like you're not going to be convinced to be a Nintendo fan if you weren't ever interested in playing those games. And even knowing, hey, Zelda actually runs great now. And if that doesn't change your mind, playing them or whatever is not going to change your mind. Like you're going into it with a different perspective. But I also think there's a group of people that are like, why would I not just get a Steam Deck? Why would I not just get a lax the mic? And if that's your mindset, you're right, you should get those things instead because they're going to give you what you want more than this is, I think.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, just taking Nintendo out of it and thinking about third party stuff and indie style stuff and the kind of conversation between Switch 2 and Steam Deck and I don't have any experience with the Raj, Ally, I do think there, yeah, it's great. I think in terms of user friendliness and how deep into the kernels you want to be getting, I do think there is an argument for Switch 2 in terms of what we talk about with actual PC versus console stuff. If you want to have those things. Yes. Maybe the Steam deck is gonna give you a better output for some of these things. But if you want something that is either Switch 2 compatible or at least getting some sort of boost because it's on slightly better hardware than the Switch one, but you don't wanna get into all the back end stuff. I do think this is like, even if you're not a Nintendo fan, I think this is a great platform for handheld gaming compared to the Switch one.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And again, this is something Tim talked about so much in the lead up to the Switch 2. The hope is with something like Cyberpunk on there, Hitman on there. Yeah, you're gonna make concessions for it, but it is running well enough, it is looking good enough. It is the experience you want back to you with Tony Hawk. Right. Then maybe it's able to sway that same thing here where it's like, I love my Rog Ally and I like playing fantasy life. Right. But if I'm not worried about on this trip packing both My Rog and this. That's because of cross save, of course. But this is doing a good enough job even if it isn't the pristine version of Rogue.

[Tim Geddes]

Jumping off of hardware. Let's talk a little bit about Mario Kart.

[Andy Cortez]

Wahoo.

[Tim Geddes]

Bless.

[Greg Miller]

Yes.

[Tim Geddes]

What's your experience with Mario Kart world been?

[Greg Miller]

Oh my God, it's been amazing. Hopped in last night with the stream and then played a little bit this morning. I woke up. It's funny because Tim called out the fact that you woke up at 6am out of excitement to play the Switch 2. I woke up at 6:15 and had the same thing where I'm like, okay, well I'm up. I just want to play the Switch. I'm just going to play some early, early in the morning and I'm playing it.

[Tim Geddes]

It just pops up. Blessing it's played.

[Greg Miller]

I'm like this is awesome. Yeah.

[Tim Geddes]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

And so like, you know, played some then and just went around in the free roam mode and then hopped into a Grand Prix and then came into work and played a lot more. And you know, I think I don't even know where to start with this game because I think it is such a. It's so noticeable, the jump between Mario Kart 8 coming out as a Wii U title over a decade ago and where we're at with this game coming out in 2025 and what that allows you to do as far as how forward you can leap with the title. Right. Like, you know, Mario Kart 8 even granted compliments to that game for still to this day holding up as far as like how good it is, how good it looks deluxe and like how that brings it forward as well too. But when I'm seeing this game, Mario Kart World run on a TV and we're playing it in two player split screen in the smoothest FPS and you know, the items are on frantic mode and you have all this shit going on and you have 24 racers and all this shit. Right. Like there's a level of chaos at play that I think does bring Mario Kart forward or at least turns into an experience that for me is fresh once again. You have all these different characters and like we can get into a conversation about like the characters they chose here because it really does feel like, all right, cool, like you know, throw a dart at a board and pick whatever random NPC you saw on a DS game. But like I think on a certain level it is a testament to how much you kind of have to jam pack into this game for how big you want to make, the scope of it. And I think that stuff works. The free roam mode, I kind of go, I keep going back and forth with it because like I think when you talk about expectation versus what they're giving the my. The peak of what I would have wanted would have been Forza Horizon and what they do with that, right? Like you know, around every corner is a thing to do or a thing to unlock or a barn find or I roll up to any corner and hit the two triggers and all of a sudden I'm starting a race and it's gone. Like that would have been the dream. That's not what this is. But even say, even with that being said, it is kind of. It's tough for me to not pick up my switch right now and just drive around. You know what I mean? I love just driving around this map because the map they have for Mario Kart World is so well made like it is. It's what they said. It's all these tracks kind of mashed together in this battle world type situation of. All right, it is everything that you want, right? And you can drive from one track to another track and you can navigate the map however you want.

[Andy Cortez]

It's swinging and Spidey.

[Greg Miller]

It's swinging and Spidey. And the map just comes together so well. And honestly makes me kind of sad that like the activities that it's filled with aren't like the crazy diverse like very thing that I would have wanted. But even with that, I just love driving around it because it is just a well made thing. Knockout Tour is like still such an amazing mode. Have had such a fun time playing with you guys. Every single race of Knockout Mode has been or Knockout Tour has been intense to the last moment of, you know, seeing if I, if we. Who's going to get that first place to the final four. Like this game is delivering on what they've pitched it as what I think it needs to be. And I'm having such a good time with it.

[Tim Geddes]

Andy.

[Andy Cortez]

I mean I've only played maybe two or three races with it, but it's definitely more hectic with the player count, which I think is hilarious and you know, could really fuck you over in some ways. And I expect to see Gary Whitta getting really angry on the Internet.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, he already was last night. I'm happy to report Mario Kart is still bullshit.

[Andy Cortez]

But like I, I can't wait to see more of the implementation of the webcam. I think that's such a funny ass feature. When it comes to stuck to what with what we do with content creation and things like that, I. I think it obviously looks great. Character selection is so vast because you have 24 players on the screen at times. Really happy that I'm Monty Mole now permanently, which is really great.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You beat Washburn. Good job.

[Andy Cortez]

I beat Washburn for the Monty Mole role. And yeah, I mean, I'm excited to play more, which is always kind of like that honeymoon period with a new piece of hardware when I'm never. I've never been the Mario Kart guy. I think I played probably Double Dash the most way back in the day because I kind of. It's all. I had that in Smash. But I'm excited to kind of drive around and see if I can get sucked in. In the same way that I didn't think Forza would ever be a game for me where I'm just like, I'm not a racing car fan. I don't. I don't buy racing games. The last one I was into was maybe need for Speed Underground 2, and then I kind of moved on, and that genre I've sort of left behind. And then When I played Forza 4 for the first time, Horizon 4 was like, holy shit, this is amazing. And then Horizon 5 blew me away. I'm hoping that this can kind of bring me in and I could find the appeal of doing these random challenges that require a lot of skill and bashing your head up against the wall and then playing online with large group of friends. Super pumped to see if we can do anything. The 8V8V8V8 or whatever it is. Or is it 5V5?

[Barrett Courtney]

It's like 8 or something.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, I'm really stoked to see how that can go and just how much chaos we can get into.

[Tim Geddes]

I want to keep talking about Mario Kart World right after a word from our sponsors. This episode's brought to you by xreal. Y' all know that a few months ago, my life changed forever when I brought a pair of Xreal 1AR glasses on a long flight to New York. I legit could not believe how easy it is to use and high quality. My experience was playing games, watching movies, TV shows on the plane without just too much extra stuff around me, or especially not a giant goofy headset around my head. No joke. This is my favorite new tech product in years, and it has earned a permanent spot in my travel bag. It is only hard to believe that it works as well. As I'm saying, until you try xreal1ar glasses for your yourself. And then you will see that the future is now. The tech is here. Connect xreal1 glasses to wherever you are playing. Whether it's a handheld console, a PC phone, home console. You just get a massive 150 inch virtual screen anywhere, anytime. For any game gaming on the go, like a long haul flight, you need the xreal One neck starting to hurt from staring down at your handheld. We've all been there. You need an xreal One A screen as big as your wall. Instant plug and play with all of your devices via G usb. C built in audio with sound by Bose anchoring your screen anywhere in space. It's awesome. It just works. Zero latency at 1080p full HD. These are what make Xreal 1amust have. And we hear Xreal 1 Pro is coming soon with an even bigger virtual screen. Hit our link below to get your xreal glasses today. There's nothing better than when a sponsor of Kind of Funny is something that we are legitimately obsessed with. And that is exactly the case here with xreal. You're going to hear me talking about these forever. Go to xreal.com for more. I don't know if you guys saw, but Wario64 yesterday tweeted, Pragmata lives with screenshots of Pragmata.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh my God.

[Tim Geddes]

And then the Pragmata account replied, reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. That's awesome.

[Andy Cortez]

That's because they know what they're doing.

[Barrett Courtney]

I know what they're doing.

[Andy Cortez]

To Shaolin Renegade for subscribing with Prime. Thank you everybody supporting us with prime with their YouTube memberships, appreciate the hell out of it. Super important to be subbed because tomorrow's Summer Games fest and Sunday is the Xbox Conference and you do not want to be interrupted with ads when that happens.

[Tim Geddes]

That is all very true. Greg Miller's coming back to join the stage with Cole once again.

[Andy Cortez]

Cole, congratulations.

[Tim Geddes]

Congratulations world.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Cole. I'm having a great time with it. You know, it's a fun one to return to. And like I've been talking about it, I think for me, what killed Smash Brothers, and I shouldn't say even killed Mario Kart 8 is when the group separates too much Smash Brothers. At ign, I felt like I was able to be competitive with bluetoothnit Link. When we started doing Smash, it kind of funny. Nick had gotten way better with the suck and blow method. It was just, you know what I mean? I was like, all right, cool, I'm gonna play. And maybe on a wild chance I'll win. Mario Kart 8 was a similar thing, right? Deluxe dropped. We were playing the office. We were all great. I was really good. And then you got insane because you never stopped playing. We hired Barrett. Barrett was fucking insane and never stopped playing. And so eventually it was like, well, we're not gonna have these casual competitions, I don't feel. Because I'm just not MLG enough about it. So for this launch of it, for us all to be in the scrum and be there and be fighting for it and trying to figure it out still and not have it, I love that. And I'm interested to see how that evolves over time. Because right now, every one of these races seems like that where it's like, I'm in there and I'm competitive, and maybe I'm in first for a little bit, maybe I fall back, but then you get hit by one thing and I'm in 23rd. Fuck. Okay, this. And it's the rubber banding between the numbers, but we've talked a lot about it where there's something going on here that makes it feel more like Smash, but more like Mario Party, where there's just. There's more. The chaos meter has been cranked up enough right now. Where it is that thing of, like, cool. I feel like we're all getting evened out and put together. And that's why there's this mass of people moving that are just bouncing back. Even opening it up and playing online, right? Where I won a few, which is great, but it's like, that doesn't happen any other time. I remember opening it up on Wii U with kinda funny best friends and just getting my teeth kicked in. Right? Because of, like, how it is. So granted, it's launch day. We'll see what happens when next week. I don't touch it because I'm playing Death Stranding. And I come back and everybody knows how to grind or do this. Whatever. The long story short is, I'm having a great time with it. It's fun to be to a new Mario Kart. As much as we loved 8 Deluxe, it was Mario Kart 8 again. We've seen this. They added new things, they did new stuff. But I'm happy to be here and be learning it and be figuring out asking you questions like, oh, wait, how do I jump? And what am I trying to. You can drive the walls. I don't even know that. Like, I'm having a great time playing with it with all you. And I am excited again to get a loan with it on the plane tomorrow, probably, and actually do my own grand piece. Freeze and see this and look for that.

[Tim Geddes]

Barrett, Courtney, I need to know your thoughts on Mario Kart World.

[Barrett Courtney]

So, yeah, I played, like, an hour on my own, did a couple of Grand Prixs and then a solo knockout tour, and then jumped in with all of y' all. The first thing I just want to shout out again, like you were talking about earlier, is just, like, the online capabilities. And, like, again, like, it's weird because it's coming with the Switch 2 launch, but, like, to me, that's just more so of just, like, a new software, of just seeing Mario Kart 8 and how just old even that online functionality felt at the time and getting this breath of fresh air of a new Mario Kart and how that works. And, you know, we're all just kind of free roaming around until, like, whoever, like, owns the room or whatever does something. So potentially, we. 24 of us could just be hanging out for hours in, like, the free room and then naturally go into a Grand Prix or a knockout tour. Like, all of that is so well done and so seamless. And I think in terms of, like, online stuff like that is just going to. That's going to what. That's going to be what makes this. This game live for, I think, a really long time outside of the MLG sickos who are playing it, like, for two on 200cc for years on Mario Kart 8. Right. It's interesting because I love Mario Kart 8 for the MLG sicko kind of like getting very competitive and sweaty and stuff like that. And my first impression of Mario Kart World is this is not going to be that game. And so in terms of how in depth I get with it, we'll see. I'm sure I'm still gonna put a lot of hours into it, like, over the course of the years. But, like, at least off of first impression, I don't know if I'm ever gonna become an expert at this game like I could with Mario Kart. I think there's more of a fun factor being put into this game, which I think is a fair direction for Mario Kart World to go into. With the amount of crazy items that are being introduced, 24 people racing all at the same time, it just felt so chaotic, and I didn't really feel a rhythm of being in first and then being brought back to 24th and then trying to catch up to even get to, like, 16th. And, you know, maybe there's going to be meta stuff throughout the coming Months that we all kind of discover that like make the cream of the crop kind of like rise up and stuff like that. But it's one of those, like. Yeah, it's interesting. I think this is something I talked about a lot on our Mario Kart 8 re review a week ago, is that Mario Kart is what it needs to succeed at, is giving you that theme park kind of feeling when going into a new track and stuff. And I think in terms of that stuff, it is like exceeding my expectations on that stuff. Like going to some of the new tracks, some of the redone tracks from older games. Like, like I feel giddy again playing a Mario Kart, even though I like, I'm sucking absolute ass at it so far.

[Andy Cortez]

Do you think you'll ever see a. Do you think Nintendo would ever introduce competitive like no items mode or not a no items mode, but like something similar to when you play Smash Bros. And you're like, no items final dead.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You can do that here when we turn it on. Like, what do you want? Items normal. Do you want them frantic?

[Andy Cortez]

But like maybe like a. Like a ranked sort of thing where you play this.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, oh, okay.

[Andy Cortez]

And there are no items like esports rules.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, see, no, because I. Mike.

[Andy Cortez]

Got pulled down.

[Greg Miller]

We were still able to hear you pretty good.

[Andy Cortez]

It was probably in Blessings Mike then.

[Barrett Courtney]

I. I honestly think no, because I think that would have. If they were to do that for any Mario Kart game, it would have been 8. Just because the way 8 feels and the way a lot of people interacted with eight of more of like a competitive esports type of thing. To me at least. At least with first blush, this feels a bit more leaning into the things that Gary Wida hates about Mario Kart of it feeling kind of chaotic and bullshitty. And I, I think that would kind of contradict the feeling of this game. But maybe I'm. Maybe I'm off on that.

[Tim Geddes]

I want to give my thoughts and I want to jump off starting with what you're saying there. I'm actually on the complete other end of you about that conversation. I think that on initial first blush when Bless and I played in New York, I was like, oh, this feels just like Mario Kart 8. And I'm so happy about that. Playing a lot more now I'm like, oh, there's a lot of differences. And I think it's on the more high end level. I think that the charge jump stuff and the rails and the. The amount of paths because of how open world the maps are. I feel like, right now, we're at a level where it is. We're playing with the basic people that we all don't know what we're doing. And so it's frantic chaos. The moment that people can split up and be on the different level paths because of the advanced tech. I think that's where tech moves. I think that's where this is going to get a lot more competitive and a lot more sweaty.

[Andy Cortez]

Easy to learn, difficult to master, type 100%.

[Tim Geddes]

And I think it's going to be more like. And that's where I've been interested. Playing the free roam stuff is for. As kind of not Forza Horizon as it is. It does function as a good tutorial to teach you that stuff that us just playing Mario Kart the way we've always played Mario Kart isn't going to do, you know, so we're all like, how do you jump? How do you. Whatever. Playing the free roam stuff, you kind of are forced to using the P blocks. I was going to say that stuff.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I haven't had a chance to play Mario Kart by myself. Watching. Bless. Do the challenge right where it was. Hop on the wall and do the thing like, oh, this is such an interesting way to tutorialize what's going on in this world.

[Greg Miller]

And it's also, like a good format to just explore the world tour, explore the tracks. So we were talking about the different paths and stuff. Like, I think one of the things that always entertained me when I would watch videos of people playing Mario Kart 8, we're seeing the shortcuts, and I'm like, oh, I would have never thought about that. I think this game giving you a mode where you can literally just drive around and just discover probably is on purpose. So that for the ways that these tracks are designed, they want you to know the exact route you're gonna take or the exact rail that you're gonna take and how you're gonna get onto it.

[Tim Geddes]

Yeah, I think this game's gonna be less about the shortcuts and more about the Sonic the Hedgehog style of level design, where there's, like, high, medium, low, and just depending on how high, how fast you can keep your momentum and find the right path. It's more about knowing paths as opposed to. And being able to maintain the path as opposed to, like, finding shortcuts to, like, cut the seconds off. That'll be there, too, though, saying all of that. I don't know that that's necessarily a great thing. I do love that it's different because we've had 10 years of Mario Kart 8 and Deluxe, and we just did our review. I gave it a 10. I think that that game over time has only gotten better and more perfect of the type of Mario Kart that it is. And I do think that this being an open world one, it provides a different style of gameplay. At the end of the day, I'm going to be shocked if I like this as much as 8. I'm having a fantastic time with it, and I'm probably. I'm 90% sure I'm going to 100% this game. You know, I already have beat all the Grand Prix. I got gold in all of them. I got three stars in most. But I need to go back and clean that stuff up. Have so much to do in Free Roam, so much to do in Knockout Tour, which is fantastic. But I feel like the open world nature of the entire game is so cool. And I think that the open world is very well designed and so interesting. And I feel like we are just scratching the surface of what we're going to find. And I've been surprised and delighted, as they love to say, many times, finding little things in the levels, but I don't think that there's been any level that stands out to me. And I feel.

[Greg Miller]

I was gonna say. I was gonna mention that.

[Tim Geddes]

Actually, you know what? I have two exceptions to that. It's the Boo Cinema.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, Boo Cinema.

[Tim Geddes]

And the Rainbow Road, the Donkey Kong. Well, okay. Well, Rainbow Road's just Rainbow Road, though.

[Greg Miller]

Sure, yeah, yeah, sure, sure.

[Tim Geddes]

Like the. I don't want to say anything about Rainbow Road, but. And the Donkey Kong, where there's the big one.

[Barrett Courtney]

That one's definitely a highlight, but I.

[Tim Geddes]

Think that's actually a good point of what I'm illustrating, what I'm trying to say. There are times where that mecha Donkey Kong's in different parts of different levels in the open world and stuff, and I feel it makes it a little less special. And then you start to, like, in the open world because of how Knockout Tour works, and there's so much straight lines getting from course to course and stuff. You're reversing the same space in different ways. And because of that, I feel like it all starts to feel the same a little bit. And that didn't feel that way in Mario Kart 8 because everything felt so distinct and so heavily themed.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yes.

[Tim Geddes]

That here it's kind of what I was talking about not liking about the Mario Kart Tour levels being translated over to Mario Kart 8 where some of the signage could get a little confusing. And because you're not doing the traditional lap, lap, lap. And it's.

[Barrett Courtney]

Things are constantly variations on the lapse.

[Tim Geddes]

Because this whole game is that it almost just feels harder to define bits and, like, have them in your mind of, like, okay, I know this, I know this, and cool. It's a different game. Like, maybe that's the point of it. We'll see if that sticks with me. But that's kind of my top level.

[Andy Cortez]

Initial thought is it because it's Mario ip and obviously you have DK there, but you're not getting the hyrule area or the other, like, in terms of differentiation and not feeling the themes. Because, like, I really pop off when playing Mario Kart 8 and seeing, like, oh, the F0 track. Oh, this is sick as hell. This is. Reminds me of just being in that world. But now it's kind of more environmentally themed, along with some of those throwbacks.

[Tim Geddes]

No, because I think we'll get that eventually. And I feel like I loved Mario Kart 8 before it had DLC, so it didn't have any crossovers. It was just Mario. But I think the difference also is Mario Kart 8 had such a defined theme and look and how sleek it was and the ways that the tracks would all be, like, inverted and all this insanity. This just doesn't have that. Everything's very flat and wide. And I think that adds to, like, the twists and turns of even taking a Super Nintendo flat level. And what Mario Kart 8 would do with it made everything feel more dynamic. More dynamic, but still part of the same whole. You know, it didn't feel, like, wacky and out there, but, like, it felt like it made sense, but it was its own thing at the same time. But, yeah, with this one so far, I do think that the leaning into the Mario stuff, I don't think is the problem. It's more. This is a very Mario Kart as a franchise game. And I think that has some pros and cons.

[Andy Cortez]

I was gonna say real quick. I. What I get really stoked about and even thinking back to when we first reacted to it was just the possibility of what the DLC could be and how When Mario Kart 8 adds new tracks, that doesn't do a whole lot for me. But this adding onto this continent sort of land mass and then seeing that in the open world and how. And maybe they tease that in a way, or maybe when it just finally releases the excitement of driving up to a new place from you know, it's like when they fucking build a new Best Buy or something. You know, you're like, I want to go. You know, there's that new mall being built. I'm excited to see how those, you know, things will get added. Even though that none of that is even confirmed, but you got to assume that that's how they would sort of introduce and implement these.

[Tim Geddes]

Yeah. And you're not to go too far into this, but I guess my. A question for Tim in the future. Okay. That I want to look at the camera at some point. Answer. Thank you very much. Kevin. Do you know this open world, like, you 100% in this game, when they do add DLC, am I going to remember, oh, that's next to this thing. I know how to get there. Or am I just going to be pulling up a map and going to the new thing, not really remembering any of the landmarks or anything like that?

[Andy Cortez]

I think you'll know. I think you'll know.

[Greg Miller]

See, right now, I don't think you will. I think it'll be the latter one. As you're describing the memorability or the lack thereof of the tracks, Andy asked the question of, is it the fact that it is Mario IP and all this stuff? And I think the tracks that stand out, and I think you mentioned both these.

[Tim Geddes]

Right.

[Greg Miller]

Were the Boost Cinema that you said. And then, yeah, DK Spaceport. And I think there's something about how striking those are thematically as tracks where I'm like. The first thing I remember saying as we entered DK Spaceport, I think this was last night on the stream is like, yo, they gave DK a spaceport. Like, what the fuck is that? And then as we're driving up it, I'm like, oh, this is straight up Donkey Kong. They're throwing the barrels. We're going up. Like, we're doing that whole thing. That's fucking cool. And then Buu Cinema kind of has a similar, like, distinct thing going on to it. And as I'm going through the tracks right now on the map, I'm like, reading. I'm like, all right, then you have Salty Salty Speedway. And then you have Fortnite Areas. Yeah. You have DK Pass. You have Dandelion Depths. You have Moo Moo Meadows, which is. This is a staple. Like, that's the other thing is, like, they have a lot of staples here, and it's always good to have staples, but I think there's a balance of having enough tracks where it is. Like, I guess there's A lot of been here done that for me with some of these tracks as far as, like, all right, cool. We got the Movie Meadows, we got the grass, we got the this, we got the, like, I want to see more DK spaceports. Like, I want to see more Boost Cinemas. I want to see, like, I want to see the, like, the mall level from the Wii Mario Kart like, stuff where it is. Oh, this is really, like. This is a landmark location unlike anything I've seen before. And I don't know, five years down the line, looking back, if I'm going to know this map in the way that you're asking Tim, shout out to.

[Andy Cortez]

Daniel in the YouTube chat who, when Blessing was trying to set his back paddles for the game.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

And you were going to permanently change them for the whole game for the system wide sort of deal. And Daniel said, no, no, no. Bless. Hold the home button and you could set the back paddles on a game by game basis.

[Tim Geddes]

And it's so easy.

[Andy Cortez]

It's the coolest thing.

[Tim Geddes]

It's so intuitive. I feel like the setting back paddle things on controllers, it's not rocket science, but sometimes it could be like one menu thing too far that I'm just like, eh, I don't need it right now. I can just keep going. This is perfect.

[Greg Miller]

Genius. One more thing I do want to mention because as we're talking about this.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I gotta go pick up Ben. Thanks for watching, everybody. I'll see you later.

[Barrett Courtney]

That's a wrap. I'm Greg Miller, everybody.

[Andy Cortez]

Bye, Greg.

[Greg Miller]

I wonder how.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Come on, Cole. Oh, that got him.

[Andy Cortez]

That got him.

[Greg Miller]

I wonder how much of our feelings are enhanced by Knockout Tour being the mashing up of all these tracks. And so we're like. Like we're doing every track at the same time, essentially. Like, as we're going from tour to tour, I wonder if that's making things feel. Yeah, it makes everything bleed together in a way that makes them feel less distinct.

[Tim Geddes]

Absolutely. But I think that that's the design of the game. I feel like any mode you're playing, that's still the case. Like I just did every Grand Prix and it still has that feeling.

[Greg Miller]

Okay.

[Tim Geddes]

Because you are still going from course to course, even in Grand Prix.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, Gotcha. It's not just Knockout.

[Tim Geddes]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

Okay. Fascinating.

[Tim Geddes]

And all that's to say, I am loving my time with it. And beyond that, I'm loving my time with you guys with it. Like, I feel like this is like such a success of a video game of, like, we are having Pure joy for the last 24 hours of all of us hanging out. Like, last night's stream was hilarious. Like, it was just a good ass time. We need Fran here more all day us. Hey, like the fact that we had variations on this couch all day of people playing together, people playing by themselves, and it was just good fun stuff. Like it's a good fun. That's cool. And like Forza probably is a better game, but I don't know that it's a better game experience when it comes to that type of stuff. It's a different one at the very least.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, different.

[Tim Geddes]

But the Mario Kart fun factor, it's like, oh, this game's nailing that. Like this. This game's succeeding at something that not any game can pull off. And yet. Is it because of Mario? Probably. But this is a lot of Mario, man. Hearing the music has brought me so much joy. And of course it was gonna bring me joy, but I saw it bring other people a lot of joy, you know?

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. Can I tell you, this all goes all the way back to what Barret was mentioning as far as like the esports factor to it. I'm locked in. I'm locked the fuck in in this Mario Kart and I'm somebody. When it came to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, like that was kind of the one for me where I was like, I just don't know how to get good at this game. And I'll see Barrett do his thing. I'm like, how the fuck? That's like getting good at Mario Party. Like, I don't know how Baird's doing it. As I'm playing this game, I'm locked the fuck in.

[Tim Geddes]

You better stop talking to Big game. What the fuck is he.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Barrett's gonna humble your ass.

[Greg Miller]

I'm seeing you on the fucking track.

[Barrett Courtney]

But I mean, you kicked my ass so many times today.

[Andy Cortez]

Like, you don't.

[Barrett Courtney]

You don't need to fucking posture like that for me. Like that sounds so absurd because again, very early on, but it's like the way this game feels designed. It feels like it. It's going to push back against you for like trying like that. And I understand your take of like, we'll see that rails and like that. But there's something about the. The feeling in the moment to moment gameplay. I'm not talking about the strategies of like different paths and grinding rails and shit like that. The like feeling of momentum in the game, the way drifting feels and then like the slew of items that feel way more like Mario Kart Wii, which to me feels like the most party Mario Kart game in the franchise. There's just something about the culmination of those things that makes me like, I'm loving my time, like, playing with y' all. Even though I, again, am terrible right now and probably will continue to be, I'm enjoying it because it feels more like a party experience. Whereas Mario Kart 8 wasn't really that far for me.

[Andy Cortez]

I feel like the Strat is going to be just go the road less traveled. Where more cars are, there's more opportunities to get hit.

[Tim Geddes]

Yeah. All right. We're going to talk a lot about Mario Kart 8 or Mario Kart World, and still Mario Kart 8. I feel like we're going to be playing that for a long time still there, like, over the years. We're not giving up on that. You know what I mean? This is not a replacement for Mario Kart 8.

[Greg Miller]

I guess that's where I'm.

[Barrett Courtney]

I'll need my 200cc fixes.

[Greg Miller]

That's crazy talk. You're never gonna play Mario Kart 8 again, I'll tell you.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Right?

[Tim Geddes]

No.

[Greg Miller]

Bear will.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Tim, you're never picking up Mario Kart 800%.

[Tim Geddes]

I will. I guarantee you I will.

[Greg Miller]

You will?

[Tim Geddes]

100%.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Okay.

[Tim Geddes]

Oh, yeah. No, dude. Mario Kart 8's a life game for me. It is just Mario Kart perfected in the same way Smash ultimate is. Smash perfected. Like, the next Smash Brothers is gonna have this exact same problem of it has to be different. It has to. Or else we're just gonna be like, well, it's not Ultimate.

[Andy Cortez]

It's gonna be different. And there's. Because there's less players, less characters, definitely.

[Tim Geddes]

But yeah, we're going to keep talking about a whole bunch of stuff, so I don't want to go too long on this episode here today. So we're going to wrap this up mainly so I can go play more Switch 2 myself. Thank you so much for hanging out with us all night. Day yesterday, day today, tomorrow. Summer Game fest is upon us. We'll be live reacting to that and doing a breakdown Gamescast after then on Sunday, the Xbox Showcase with the same deal until next time. Love you all. Goodbye.

[Andy Cortez]

Bye.