I'm unironically looking forward to Clubhouse Games, 51 Worldwide Games or whatever you want to call it. I'm genuinely not exaggerating when I say it is actually one of my most anticipated games for a long time.
The reason for this is that I spent a lot of time on the Nintendo DS version, which was also known as Clubhouse Games in the States, and 42 All-Time Classics in Europe. I wrote about it here, in fact.
42 All-Time Classics was that perfect breed of handheld game: something that you could pick up and play for a few minutes at a time, or spend several hours thoroughly absorbed in. The substantial single-player offering took you through all of the different games on offer in various ways, giving you the opportunity to learn how to play through the substantial included rulebooks, and practice your skills against computer opponents of varying difficulty.
A big highlight of the experience was the fact that it supported DS Download Play, meaning only one person needed a cartridge in order to host up to 8 other players… so long as they had their own DS or 3DS, of course. The nice thing about the new Switch game is that it will support local play on the TV, meaning that many of these games can be enjoyed with a friend from the comfort of the sofa.
Of course, some games obviously won't work like this — most notably anything that requires you to "hide" things such as a hand of cards from your opponent, but in these cases the game supports multiple Switches and even offers a free downloadable app for players who don't own their own copy of the full game to join in the fun — much like Namco did with Pac-Man Vs. in the Switch Namco Museum bundle, and very much a spiritual successor to the DS Download Play option from the older game.
I'm also very interested in some of the games included in the collection. There are some intriguing and unusual picks in there, including some traditional games that you don't see adapted to video games very often — stuff like Nine Men's Morris and Hare and Hounds. Plus I think I've decided I would like to learn how to actually play Backgammon. I think I can actually remember the rules now; just need to understand how to effectively play now!
If anyone else reading is picking up a copy of this when it launches in early June, I'd be more than happy to host some regular "game nights" where we can get together and enjoy some virtual tabletop fun. I know dear Chris, as noted on the podcast, is very much looking forward to getting hammered and playing Connect Four, and I'm sure there are plenty more games we can all enjoy too. So say the word if you fancy it!
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