The Nintendo Switch 2 Experience was held in Los Angeles from April 11-13. Culture Editor Jesse Illanes and Senior Reporter Nyan Gavino were selected through a lottery system and experienced what Nintendo had to offer at the preview event.

This article will review our impressions on games such as Metroid Prime 4, Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, Cyberpunk 2077 and Nintendo GameCube Classics. To see our main coverage on the Switch 2 hardware and the system’s premier titles, Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, check out “The Sundial’s The Sundial’s Hands-on the Switch 2: Exciting New Hardware and Premier Titles.”

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Jesse: I planned on getting a Switch 2 on day one—before the official reveal—solely because I knew Metroid Prime 4 would be the best place to play it.

I played a demo running at 1080p/120 frames per second, and it looked stunning. The intro was reminiscent of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, as these games start with cinematic set pieces.

The Space Pirates led a siege, attempting to steal an artifact from a Galactic Federation research lab. Samus Aran intervenes to help the Galactic Federation secure the artifact.

The gameplay is pure Metroid Prime, with first-person shooting, strafing and scanning. This was my first opportunity to try the Joy-Con 2 mouse controls, and as someone who prefers keyboard and mouse for shooters, I was very intrigued.

Much like my impression of Mario Kart World, I was surprised by how comfortable and seamless the mouse controls are and felt right at home. I mowed down enemies and the demo’s boss with ease, having laser precision with the mouse controls, like the T-800’s targeting computer from Terminator.

As I was playing, I instantly envisioned setting up Switch 2 in front of my computer monitor to experience 120 frames per second and play with the mouse controls at my desk.

I loved the demo, but for better or worse, Metroid Prime 4 feels like the next step in the series, as if the last game was only “some time ago” rather than 18 years. After all this time, I wanted a true “next-gen,” Triple-A, premier title for the Switch 2. The final game can deliver in this sense, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut

Nyan: Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut plays the same as it always has, but hosts new additions to make the critically acclaimed title refreshing. Adding an English dub, new cutscenes and an online mode add much to what can otherwise feel like a typical re-release. Since Yakuza 0 is arguably RGG Studio’s most popular release, it makes sense to use it as a major launch title for the Switch 2.

The game was initially released in 2015 in Japan, and later came to the West in 2017. The vast success of Yakuza 0 pushed the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series into the mainstream and Nintendo intends to make it a heavy-hitter for the console’s launch. It seems like the title will fully deliver on that front, running exceptionally smooth at 4K quality at 60 fps, with no stutters or drops in performance during my time with the demo.

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition

Jesse: Another game in the Mature section of the event was Cyberpunk 2077. Having only played the game at launch on my aging gaming PC, I didn’t have the best experience with it. However, playing it on the Switch 2 was mind-blowing.

CD Projekt Red’s global PR director, Radek Grabowski, attended the event and spoke about attending the Switch 2 Experiences worldwide.

“So far, we did events in New York, Paris, in London, which runs parallel to this event and we are so happy with the reception. Everyone is super, super excited with the fact that “Cyberpunk” is playable on the Switch 2 from the get-go, at launch,” said Grabowski. “[The] reception so far, if you ask me, with just one word: ‘very positive.’ – This is even two words!” The game ran at a solid frame rate in performance mode, at 1080p and up to 40fps. The graphics appeared to be a step up from the PS4 version and felt smooth, especially with big shootout moments. It rivals the performance on the Steam Deck, which is amazing in itself.

Grabowski said the Switch 2 version is the most “cyberpunk way to play Cyberpunk 2077,” as players have access to gyroscope mode, full motion controls, mouse sensor mode and touch screen support in handheld mode as players feel like “you are wearing a piece of cyber-wear with the Switch 2 Joy-Cons in hand.”

Cyberpunk is a showpiece for what the Switch 2 can do, hoping to pave the way for similar, open-world, Triple-A titles to get ported to the console, and mainly, have future titles arrive day and date with other systems like PS5 and PC.

Playing the demo made me consider buying the game on the Switch 2 because having an open-world game like Cyberpunk portably seems like a no-brainer.

What else was on the show floor?

Jesse: My main question about the launch lineup was the GameCube Classics, specifically Soulcalibur II and F-Zero GX. Unfortunately, the emulation seems prone to stuttering and frame drops, which is unacceptable in 2025.

Soulcalibur II has screen effects when your character does an unblockable move, where your character’s weapon engulfs in flames, and a Soul Charge move, where the character glows, powering up your next attack.

In an instance where Nightmare did an unblockable move and Link simultaneously did a Soul Charge, the game dropped to zero frames per second. For a fighting game where every frame counts, instances like these make the game unplayable. F-Zero GX performed better, but still had noticeable stuttering occasionally.

I hope Nintendo fixes these performance issues by launch, as the shoddy emulation won’t allow new players to have the best experience.

Nyan: A plethora of game demos were present at the event, each offering a different kind of experience. Nintendo’s Drag x Drive was one of the handful of titles I could play, but it was rather confusing. The game’s main selling point is its usage of the new mouse controls on the Switch 2’s controller, but within the short demo, the title’s main gimmick got old fast. Although it’s a paid release, it felt more like a free bundled title that would come with the console. Unfortunately, I don’t see this game performing as well as Nintendo hopes, especially not at a premium price point.

This pricing situation is a common talking point regarding the console. The “Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour” game has also seen a controversial reveal. Similar to Drag x Drive, the company is choosing, yet again, to charge for a game that many believe should be free. This game is currently priced at $10; however, paying for games that are otherwise expected to be bundled leaves a bad impression on potential consumers.

The other games on display were great and ran relatively well, although many were re-releases specifically tuned for the Switch 2’s hardware. The games available to demo solidified that Nintendo is trying to expand its market within the gaming sphere, and the upgraded hardware has drastically helped the company pursue this venture.

Final Thoughts

Nyan: Titles like Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut and Cyberpunk 2077 showcase the power of the hardware and its versatility, demonstrating the Switch 2’s capability to run larger Triple-A releases. In the current console market, Nintendo must keep this momentum by adding major game releases on the Switch 2.

Jesse: Games like Metroid Prime 4 are a selling point for the Switch 2, and it is amazing to see stellar third-party support on day one coming to the Switch 2. Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut looks great in 4K 60fps and Cyberpunk 2077 was a surprise to see and plays well.

The Nintendo Switch 2 release is approaching, arriving on June 5.