Nintendo launches a new compilation of classic and board games to enjoy locally, online and with tactical functions. Shall we have ladies?
51 Worldwide Games is the classic compilation that can draw a lot of attention to one type of audience and, in turn, go completely unnoticed by another, as if it did not exist for the Nintendo Switch catalog. The main objective is to gather dozens of classic card games, desktop and others in virtual format to be able to enjoy alone, with up to 4 players in local mode and also with online functions. Games as recognizable as chess, checkers or darts that merge with mythical card proposals such as couples, pigs or Texas Hold'em poker and a third group of action games ranging from billiards to golf, foosball or dominoes. These are the 51 games of the world gathered.
Because analyzing a game of this type can be as simple and at the same time as complex as understanding and breaking down the small games we have inside. If we focus on the main functions, we will see that we have all the available games to start and three modalities to enjoy them. Play them on a single console, with the option of 1-4 players and tactile options for some mini-games; the local game, that allows to join up to four platforms or to do it in tatami mode, two consoles connected without the joycons; and the Guest edition version, which allows three users to join the full version player to try out several of the modes; finally, the online mode with up to four players and all the games available, which we were able to try in session with other press colleagues and worked perfectly. It is important to note that we have not been able to test the Guest Mode (we do not see the app to download on a second Switch at the moment) or the Tatami mode, which expands the game map, for example, making the car circuits bigger and varied.
Generala, point of union between dice and poker
The grace of the title is to share the experience with other players, although it is true that it also has a CPU with different levels of difficulty that will make us sweat ink in more than one game. Unfortunately, and we say it already from the beginning, the multiplayer options in a single console limit the experience in several games, some in a somewhat demanding way. We take Texas Hold’em as an example. Yes, it is clear that showing the cards on the table does not make any sense, but at least in portable mode, offering a button to raise them and each player covering their cards to see only himself (as is done in real life) it would have left the option of enjoying this and other card games on a single console. Unfortunately, some unavailable games are also limited to 3-4 players when certain conditions could be offered.
The solo experience has a certain requirement because the game challenges you to greater difficulties, and the CPU level is interesting even in simple a priori games such as connect to four, but it is true that it is the least attractive of all, since that in the end, beyond achieving better scores in certain games, the fun is doing them in company. And there we have found several proposals that are very entertaining locally.
The ladies, a classic and without having to put the chips in hand
Card games
In letters we have come across experiences of all kinds. From some mundane and entertaining without more, to others with much more substance and some of wasted. Among the highlighted options, the last card, which works as a lifelong variant of 'One', with a change of address, turn-taking, forcing others to take more cards, etc. Another as couples forces us to look for the the same -memory style- and others are much more based on chance, such as pigtail, where we have to finish all the cards without throwing any of the same suit that is on the table, or Seven, which forces us to chain cards starting of this number on each suit.
There are many more games, some more complex due to our ignorance, such as Hanafuda or Takoyaki, but they are easily understood thanks to the introductory videos of each game. Different characters, with voices in Spanish, explain to you in a simple, direct way and with a touch of humor how each of the available titles is played, something that makes life much easier after trying it on the spot for a first game.
Speed, where to do the sequence before the rival is to win
Unfortunately, we encounter some unnecessary limitations in some games. Going back to Texas Hold'em, it is impossible to play an entire game with a stack to be defined, but it limits you to playing a series of rounds, something that according to the good hand you have had at some point, allows you to simply stay without risking the end of the rounds and win. On the other hand, it also has simplifications, such as not being able to raise the bets what we want or being forced to bet without any re-raise when we are a small blind. This limits the action, because you cannot force others to withdraw at high stakes if your cards – or your bluff – allow it. It also doesn't allow us to launch an all-in when we consider. This simplification, together with the fact that in some games the machine itself indicates the options to follow, automates some games too much.
Chips on the table
Some of the most fun games without a doubt are those that include all kinds of tiles and pieces to interact with. And this ranges from a Connect to 4 that we did not remember so much fun to checkers, chess and others less known to us such as Go-moku, a proposal in which we have to create a line of five tiles before the rival. Some of the most surprising and fun to pick at home are Hex, which forces us to connect with our hexagonal tiles from end to end of the board while our opponent tries in the other direction. Trying to block the opponent's path while building ours has its crumb. As does the hare and the dogs.
Hex, connect the ends and block the rival
At home we were trapped for hours with this asymmetrical game: the hare has to overcome the line of dogs, which, for its part, has to leave it motionless. The grace is that the hare has free movements everywhere as indicated by the board, but dogs can only move one per turn and always forward, so their inability to go back makes them very vulnerable: one wrong step, defeat. CPU challenging too and highly recommended.
Other tremendously addictive games are Mill, a kind of connect to three but that allows you to eliminate the enemy's balls and that forces you to draw up strategies to play in the different levels that the board has, or secret code: we have to learn the sequence that is hide in the box using six colors and trying your luck with the indicators that tell us how many pieces are in place and how many are in the sequence but are not in the right place. Finally, we are also left with Mancala, a game in which we leave seeds to each of the saucepans while we try to drop seeds in our general space. Very simple to play but smart and fun when it comes to getting extra turns, stealing seeds from the rival and ending up taking the victory.
Secret code, highly addictive logic sequences
Parlor games and action
The third block in which we define the games we have enjoyed is the parlor games. Proposals like billiards, such as table football or darts are also present in 51 Worldwide games, and although they are not the most entertaining, they add variety. In fact, we have mixed feelings with these types of games. Some like darts are fun and allow us to use the touch screen, and both billiards and bowling have their grace in execution, very Wii-like. Golf, which uses some of the mythical courses of the NES Golf, is a somewhat simplified version of other titles of its style, with few demands on the choice of club, the incidence of the wind or the ease of putting. But the worst part is the action games, such as foosball, baseball, tennis or boxing, which are very simple experiences that do not add much.
On the other hand, air hockey with the touch screen has its grace – and yes, as in real life we will sneak self-goals with ease – and the target shooting, which evokes Duck Hunt itches you to achieve better scores between targets and UFOs. The car race, excalextric forcing you to control the acceleration to avoid leaving the track also leaves good times. Of all these, surely the most original and fun in action are tank battles or fishing, which makes us use the joycon as a fishing rod.
Connect 6.
We leave many other difficult games to classify, such as Generala, which uses dice to get scores and combinations as in poker, the Chinese checkers that forces us to take the checkers to the other end of the board by combining jumps with our own pieces and with those of the rivals -very entertaining, by the way- or classics such as Japanese mahjong or blackjack or connect 6, which invites us to connect six balls of the same color and that makes us think why if we talk about world-famous games and historical, there is Tetris.
If you want the total list of games, here goes: Mancala, Squares, Generala, Four in a Row, Secret Code, Mill, Hex, Checkers, Hare and Dogs, Go-moku, Dominoes, Chinese Checkers, Ludo, Backgammon, Renegade, Chess , Shogi, Minishogi, Hanafuda, Japanese Mahjong, Last Card, Black Jack, Texas Hold'em, President, Sevens, Speed, Couples, War, Takoyaki, Pigtail, Golf, Billiards, Bowling, Darts, Carrom, Tennis, Soccer , Curling, Boxing, Baseball, Air Hockey, Car Racing, Fishing, Tank Battles, Team Tanks, Target Shooting, Connect 6, Sliding Route, Mahjong Solitaire, Klondike Solitaire, Spider Solitaire and Gift, The Piano .
Little else can be added to the overall experience with 51 Worldwide games. It is a clear game in its intentions, with controls that work well as a rule – although sometimes selecting the next move in some games such as checkers or Hex becomes somewhat imprecise if we try to do it quickly – and that it focuses mainly on the game with other users. As we play, in Earth Globe mode we are unlocked by “experts” who group games by categories -for example sports- to play them as a block. Nothing that cannot be done randomly with all the titles, but well thought out if we want to challenge ourselves to a sequence of specific games.
CONCLUSION
51 Worldwide Games brings together many of the great classics that we have played when we were little, and not so small, and merges them with a good number of board games and the like from other parts of the world that, taken together, represent a good range of games from always in the palm of our hand. A game designed to be enjoyed in company, where you really win many integers, and which is easy to entertain you for hours when that game is found that you want to play over and over again until you win the other. With well adapted controls and multiple game options, it is ideal for those who have a priority in local gaming. Although unfortunately, it simplifies some mechanics, limits some of the original games and there are several games, especially action, that are not too attractive.
THE BEST
- Large number of games available
- Explanations make even the most unfamiliar titles understandable
- Experience that is greatly enhanced in local or online mode
- Good use of touch controls and console perspective for each game
WORST
- Limit and simplify some games compared to the originals
- There are more action titles that do not generate too much interest due to their mechanics
Very good
Game with a remarkable finish that we will enjoy and remember. A good purchase, highly recommended for lovers of the genre. It is well cared for at all levels.
