Goodness, look at the time – the Nintendo Switch turns five years old today! It feels like just yesterday that we were watching it toddle around the place, and now it’s already been in our lives for half a decade.
To celebrate the console that keeps this site running, we’re trying something new: A Squid Game-style elimination game (or maybe Desert Island Discs, if you're older and Britisher), in which all five of us pick one game per year to save. All the rest will be thrown in the bin, never to be played again. The rules are simple: You can’t pick the same game as someone else, and once a game is in the bin, it’s gone forever and it’s all your fault.
We’ll take it in turns to go first, so we all get a chance to pick our favourite games, and we’ll start with 2017 – a year that included a Zelda and a Mario – and end with 2021 (which means we won’t be covering games from 2022). Without further ado, let’s get picking!
2017: Year One
2017: The first year of the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch, which released in March of that year.
After years of the disappointing sales of the Wii U, people were a little sceptical, but Nintendo kicked things off with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild… and from that moment on, we were sold. And so was the Nintendo Switch, which sold more than 14 million units by the end of the year! But will we save BOTW from the bin? Let's start with Gavin's pick...
Gavin Lane, Editor
Sonic Mania, an incredible return for 2D Sonic which crusty old gamers like myself had been waiting for for a couple of decades. It would be easy to look at it and think ‘nah, they just used the old sprites and built some new levels around it’, but the way the developers incorporated the original Mega Drive levels into the game and immediately expanded them out was so beautifully balanced.
Mania communicated the appeal of the 16-bit originals through its level design and trademark ‘flow’ that has so often been lacking in other Sonic games over the years. Absolutely pitch perfect revival.
Tom Whitehead, Deputy Editor
I’m going to be super boring and take the obvious one, though Gav did give my second choice! The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, of course, a game I love so much I reviewed it twice, did another two full playthroughs for DLC and just because. A triumphant masterpiece etc… and more to come this year (hopefully)!
Kate Gray, Staff Writer
I’m going to pick a game that I don’t necessarily consider one of the “best” from the year, but because it brought me such joy: Puyo Puyo Tetris. I have played so many hours of that game with friends, and though I haven’t picked it up more than a couple of times since the pandemic, I think it’s a good one to keep. It’s perfect for parties and hangouts, and even short bursts on planes and trains and all that (when I ever take one again).
Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer
So I was going to go for the other obvious choice from 2017, but the game that honestly kept me hooked for most of the year was Golf Story. It’s a fantastic blend of RPG and golf gameplay, with heaps of hilarious dialogue shoved in there for good measure (I’m pretty sure I spit my tea out when that gaggle of geese came to view my efforts). It brings back fond memories of playing ludicrous golf games from back in the day, perhaps most recently the GameCube version of Mario Golf. Bring on Sports Story!
Alana Hagues, Staff Writer
At the risk of upsetting many people and ignoring two huge releases from 2017, I’m going with Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It’s not my favourite Xenoblade, but this is the one that really catapulted the series to stratospheric heights.
There is so much to do and so much to explore, and the combat is so deep and layered that you can still discover new things 120 hours in. It’s also just absolutely beautiful to look at and listen to. Plus, we got some of the best DLC ever just a year later. Without it, we wouldn’t have got Definitive Edition or we wouldn’t be feverishly excited for Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Important 2017 games that are now in the bin:
Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, LABO, Stardew Valley, Snipperclips, 1-2-Switch, Thumper, Arms, Splatoon 2, Overcooked, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, SteamWorld Dig 2, Axiom Verge, Fire Emblem Warriors, Doom, Rocket League, Enter The Gungeon, Yooka-Laylee
Thoughts: Oh boy. We've already binned Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2, and Super Mario Odyssey?! The comments will not be happy with us. On the indie side of things, Overcooked and Stardew Valley are surprising losses, as both seem to have found the perfect home on the Switch. At this rate, we'll have deleted almost every Mario game on the Switch...
Comments 55
I can’t believe you left Smash Ultimate behind. At least you saved Dread though.
For me personally:
2017- Breath Of The Wild
2018- Super Smash Bros Ultimate
2019- Fire Emblem Three Houses
2020- Super Mario 3D All Stars (First time I played Galaxy)
2021- Metroid Dread
Honourable mentions are Super Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition and Dragon Quest XI
No Smash, no Odyssey, no Rocket League or Fortnite, no Skyrim or Witcher. All things considered this is still a pretty damn good list.
HEY! Where is fighting games, huh!? Where is BLAZBLUE CENTRALFICTION Special Edition, UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH Exe:Late[cl-r], BLAZBLUE CROSS TAG BATTLE, CHAOS CODE -NEW SIGN OF CATASTROPHE-, GUILTY GEAR XX ΛCORE PLUS R, and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection? Where is Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, Crypt of the NecroDancer and Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n Fun? Oh, and where is Scott Pilgrim vs. The World The Game – Complete Edition!?
I think we can officially say that squid games style, while a fun concept, is not a super great way to make a top games list.
For me it goes like this:
2017: XC2
2018: Torna
2019: DQ11
2020: XC1 DE
2021: Monster Hunter Rise
Honorable mentions: Smash Ult, SMT V, Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8dx
@RBRTMNZ luckily, we already have a top games list! This was just for fun
@moodycat ✨ opinions ✨
For me it would be
2017: Super Mario Odyssey
2018: Kirby Star Allies (only because I realized I haven't played many 2018 games and I wouldn't mind if Smash Bros. Ultimate died)
2019: Cuphead
2020: Paper Mario: The Origami King (yes, really)
2021: Metroid Dread
Runner-ups: Miitopia, Luigi's Mansion 3, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Tetris Effect: Connected, Pac-Man 99, WarioWare: Get It Together!, Sonic Mania (Sonic Forces can die and nothing of value would be lost except for Episode Shadow)
@moodycat I like the second one better! Haha. The first one is fantastic but it’s just so easy.
Monster Hunter Rise, Age of Calamity and Dragon Quest 11s are the 3 that would burn the most to see go. There's obviously some other bangers on that bin list but those 3 are necessities too me.
2017: botw
2018: Okami hd
2019: links awakening, this was the game that made me a Zelda fan, to much nostalgia to leave it behind
2020: Oragami king, thought about all stars and ori but I can play those on other consoles. Plus oragami king is my favorite game in the series.
2021: skyward sword, I love rise but I like Zelda more.
2017- breath of the wild
2018- super smash bros ultimate!
2019- Fire emblem three houses (I love that game with all of my heart)
2020- Xenoblade Chronicles DE (also love that game)
2021- Danganronpa!!
@KateGray Yeah glad you all stuck to your guns on your picks. Fun list and great read - why not make it an annual feature updated for close of each year (adding '22 to the pile).
Odyssey, Super smash bros ultimate, yoshis crafted world, 3d all stars and 3d world + bowsers fury
Removed - unconstructive; user is banned
A lovely format, and the list is pretty good. Reminded me that I haven't played Sayonara Wild Hearts in a while. Time to put it on!
My list would be (I've played ~10 games from each year):
2017: Rayman Legends, for its musical levels and overall flow.
2018: Yoku's Island Express. Many good games that year, but with this one I enjoyed every single moment.
2019: Sayonara Wild Hearts obviously.
2020: Xenoblade Chronicles 1. I'm ~3 hours till the end of the bonus game, and have already bought the japanese art book. So pretty!
2021: Doki Doki Literature Club Plus. The only game (yet) that made me cry. And reintroduced me to the VN genre.
What a great console. I hope it never dies.
@KateGray totally. I'm not being critical at all. I enjoyed this article and am commenting on the method for the sake of discussing the method. It's fun for me to exam how process effects results.
2017 – Mario Odyssey out and Puyo Puyo Tetris in? I am the comments and no, I’m not happy! Jk 😉
OMG Tom Saved Sayonara Wild Hearts! I was slowly reading through hoping to see it pop up and it did! SWH Is absolutely glorious and I too play it through regularly. I bought it the night my Wife got the all clear from the hospital after surgery. After months of misery this beautiful game beamed itself into my eyes and the soundtrack buried itself in my head. I finished it that night, cried in relief as I checked on my wife who was fast asleep. I "fell back into my groove" Thank you for picking it Tom
The important thing is that you saved Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the greatest video game of all time. The fact that so many of my other favorite games ended up in the bin shall be passed over.
Fun idea! For me I'd go;
2017 Splatoon 2
2018 Hollow Knight
2019 Fire Emblem... Luigi's Mansion 3... Shield.... Astral Chain... Good year, don't know.... Fire Emblem! I'll go Fire Emblem! (I think?)
2020 Age of Calamity
2021 Skyward Sword HD (sorry Dread, extremely close second though)
2022 I'm thinking it'll end up being Arceus (Zelda/Silksong would be it's main rivals IF they launch)
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Absolutely brutal. I think we may have to get divorced NL. No Mario Odyssey. I’m sorry- It’s not me it’s you. We’re finished.
I'd keep all the Indies and throw most of Nintendo's titles in the bin.
My Switch is an indie machine and I'm fine with that.
I'd save:
2017: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
2018: Night in the Woods
2019: Fire Emblem: Three Houses
2020: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
2021: Mutazione
2022: Pokémon Legends Arceus
As a someone who lives in the bin, I very much appreciate this initiative. Thank you for all the delicious video games. Celeste and Splatoon 2 alone will keep me very happy for a long time, and Smash will be a pleasant palate cleanser.
I live in a bin - my palate needs a good cleanse. So does the rest of me.
I’m incredibly triggered now after seeing what’s in the bin.
Guuuaaaaaarrrrrrghhhhh…….
I can forgive Splatoon and Smash, but I can’t believe you left out the Untitled Goose Game.
How could you!
Hmm… here’s my list:
2017 - Breath of the Wild (Odyssey is much better in my opinion, but I haven’t finished BotW so I would want to play it more)
2018 - Probably Celeste. Or Undertale. Smash would be 3rd place.
2019 - Mario Maker 2. One of my favourite games of all time and one of the only good games from that year (that I played)
2020 - ACNH, no doubt. Or Deltarune Chapter 2, but that was technically just an update.
2021 - SM3DW+BF. The only game I’ve played from that year, so no choice there, even though I don’t even own it.
Nice to see some love for AI: The Somnium Files on here.
If I had to pick a favorite Switch release from every year (ignoring whether or not games are exclusive)...
2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2018 - Valkyria Chronicles 4
2019 - Cuphead
2020 - Paper Mario: The Origami King
2021 - The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
My picks are Mario Odyssey (the question of wether it’s better than BOTW is up for debate, but what’s not is that it’s much more replayable), Smash Bros Ultimate (the best fighting game ever made), Mario Maker 2 (I my most played game of all time), Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (my favorite of the year, I suppose), and Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (my favorite video game of all time).
Runners up:
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (I like it much more than BOTW, sorry)
Undertale (one of my favorite games of all time, and one that deserves the praise it gets)
Luigi’s Mansion 3 (simply atmospheric perfection, and one of the best looking games on the system)
Animal Crossing:New Horizons (I guess? Or Paper Mario? Maybe 3D All Stars? 2020 was really barren)
Deltarune Chapter 2 (lots of 8/10 games on the system that year, but this is the only game I’d really consider phenomenal:
@BabyYoda71
The fact that Deltarune Chapter 2 was released in 2021 sort of clears up the list a little bit.
2017: Splatoon 2 (my favorite bar none)
2018: Super Smash Bros Ultimate
2019: Ring Fit Adventure (my daily exercise)
2020: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
2021: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
2022: ???
You guys put Three Houses in the bin!? Criminal!
Leaving smash and fire emblem behind burned me in a way I never expected an internet list to be capable of.
Here are my save picks if I could.
2021 Mario party superstars, so great to have classic Mario party. One of my favorite games growing up one of my favorites today.
2020 Hades (sorry nexomon bloodstained2 and hero hours)
2019 Fire Emblem Three Houses. Blue Lions 💙
2018 There are too many amazing games that came out this year to apologize to but I HAVE to save Smash
2017 If Skyrim weren't multiplatform I'd save that, but since it's only switch that we're killing I'm gonna save Zelda
@JakedaArbok Haha, forgot that. People always say Chapter 2 was released 2 years after Chapter 1 and it always throws me off because it was actually closer to 3 years. It drives me nuts and ruins my timeline.
2017: Super Mario Odyssey. Why didn’t you do this?
2018: Smash Bros. Ultimate. Easy Peasy.
2019: Super Mario Maker 2. I hate you guys for not doing this.
2020: I wanna say Animal Crossing but I only got it for Christmas in 2021 so I have to go with Paper Mario.
2021: Oof… so many good games… WarioWare… Miitopia… 3D World + BF… I think WarioWare? Yeah. WarioWare.
2017: Breath of the Wild (Xenoblade Chronicles 2 comes so close!)
2018: Smash Bros Ultimate
2019: Astral Chain
2020: Xenoblade Chronicles DE
2021: Metroid Dread
2022: Kirby and the Forgotten Land
2023: Breath of the Wild 2 (yeah it's not making 2022)
Here is my list.
2017: LoZ Breath of the Wild
2018: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
2019: Super Mario Maker 2
2020: Animal Crossing New Horizons
2021: Metroid Dread
2022: Pokemon Legends Arceus (so far)
If I have to save one more from each year, it'd be Mario Odyssey, Smash Ultimate, Witcher 3, Xenoblade DE, and Skyward Sword HD. But since this list is mostly things I didn't even bother to play, here's mine.
2017- Mario Odyssey, SteamWorld Dig 2, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
2018- Hollow Knight, Smash Ultimate, Dark Souls, Just Shapes & Beats, Bayonetta 1/2
2019- Witcher 3, Astral Chain, Dragon's Dogma, Boxboy+Boxgirl, Link's Awakening
2020- Xenoblade Chronicles DE, Mario 3D All-Stars (also mainly for Sunshine), Animal Crossing, Foregone, Pokemon Rescue Team DX
2021- Skyward Sword HD, Sky: Children of the Light, Metroid Dread, Monster Hunter Rise, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond
I spent most of last year catching up on older games, so the last three are still sitting there waiting for me, but I don't want them getting deleted before I even give them a chance.
Almost all of these are indies! No thanks. I'll stick to my Xenoblade, Fire Emblem and Pokemon. These are the reason I own a Switch.
Breath of the Wild 2017
Smash Bros 2018
Fire Emblem Three Houses 2019
Paper Mario the Origami King 2020
Metroid Dread 2021
Breath of the Wild 2 2022
Three honourable mentions, Super Mario Odyssey, Cruis'n Blast and Streets of Rage 4.
They didn’t take their job seriously.
(And neither did I, relax.)
But for Link’s Awakening and Odyssey’s sake, shame on you lol. You could’ve all worked together to make the world a better place, but you (mostly) just selfishly picked your lil quirky pleasures.
Ha, I liked the content, do more like this.
EDIT: As revenge, I’m going to pick 5 games and delete all others (ignoring release year).
Rabi-Ribi - Yes, that one! 😈
Captain Toad - Because no one supported it, and now you’ll all be forced to suffer!
Mystik Belle - See above!
Pocky & Rocky - It’s the future now! Enjoy it, scum!! 😅???
Cotton Reboot! - Another anime witch girl! Miss Odyssey yet!? 😜
And last but not least, Kero Blaster! Because it’s a damn fine game, and I like to break the rules with a 6th entry! 😁
Yes @Ralizah! Valkyria Chronicles 4 is one I would never miss.
Woulda loved to see Skyrim and Rocket League saved too.
Removed - unconstructive
Surprised by the amount of hate in these comments, this is a super solid list. Most switch owners I know bought it for either breath of the wild or animal crossing alone; even if this were the whole.catalog it would be a banger console. Also love the praise for Disco Elysium. Even if the Switch port is the worst version, it's still easily a must-have game.
@aSmilingMan VC4 was such a solid iteration on the first game, and it's one of those PS4 ports that's almost indistinguishable from the home console version. A real pity the DLC never goes on sale for the Switch version, though.
Picking one game a year definitely distorts the list. While The Origami King was my favorite release in 2020, for example, there are a number of 2017 and 2019 releases I'd optimally choose to keep first.
@tseliot I mean, Elden Ring isn't on Switch. No real reason to keep posting about it.
I literally stopped reading after Ultimate was thrown in the bin. Later, lol!
@KateGray
I reckon if the five of you each got 1 bin diver pass you could turn this into a pretty definitive list!
Articles like this really demonstrate which games have had a truly lasting impact.
I understand that it's sad to see Smash Bros and Mario Odyssey get binned, but this would have been an incredibly boring list if we'd all picked the first party Nintendo games 😅
I'm glad we chose a mixture of blockbusters and weird indies, since that's what the Switch is all about!
I love that A Short Hike and Yoku's Island Express made the list since they're probably both in my top 5.
Wrong, wrong, wrong! You heartless monsters! Nobody chose Astral Chain for 2019!
My list would be:
2017 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2018 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
2019 Astral Chain
2020 Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
2021 Metroid Dread
@Axecon
Just read your comment and realized our lists are near identical ha ha! You have great taste!
@TheRealMr_Carpainter Excellent picks! Of course it's too hard to pick just one game per year, this console is just hit after hit!
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