Topic: Anybody else feel like the switch is in a slump?

@Magician Oh there was definetly some of that, don't get me wrong. Nintendo lost a lot in the N64 era in terms of third party support in comparason to SNES. I'm not denying that. I'm just saying direct comparasons between number of games sold in 90s consoles between 2010s consoles is not fair.

Edit: And not only because of eShop and online shipping. The videogame audience is also a lot bigger than what it was in the 90s. For instance, the best selling game on PS1 was Grand Turismo with 10.85 million shipped. In comparason, the Switch's best selling game at the moment is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with 33.41 million.

@jowe_gw That isn't even remotely accurate, lol. So, in the name of fairness, I'll list ONLY the brand new Nintendo-developed games released every year. That's leaving out third-party exclusives like Mario + Rabbids, the multitude of ports of first and third party games from other systems, and weird gimmicks like Labo.

2017 -
1-2-Switch - Nintendo Switch
ARMS - Nintendo Switch
Bye-Bye! BOXBOY! - Nintendo 3DS eShop
Ever Oasis - Nintendo 3DS
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia - Nintendo 3DS
Fire Emblem Warriors - New Nintendo 3DS / Nintendo Switch
Hey! Pikmin - Nintendo 3DS
Kirby's Blowout Blast - Nintendo 3DS eShop
Mario Party: The Top 100 - Nintendo 3DS
Mario Sports Superstars - Nintendo 3DS
Metroid: Samus Returns - Nintendo 3DS
Miitopia - Nintendo 3DS
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon - Nintendo 3DS
Snipperclips - Cut it out, together! - Nintendo Switch eShop
Splatoon 2 - Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Odyssey - Nintendo Switch
Team Kirby Clash Deluxe - Nintendo 3DS eShop
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Wii U / Nintendo Switch
Tank Troopers - Nintendo 3DS eShop
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Nintendo Switch

2018 -
Detective Pikachu - Nintendo 3DS
Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers - Nintendo 3DS eShop
Kirby Battle Royale - Nintendo 3DS
Kirby: Star Allies - Nintendo Switch
Mario Tennis Aces - Nintendo Switch
Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! - Nintendo Switch
Pokémon Quest - Nintendo Switch eShop
Super Mario Party - Nintendo Switch
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Nintendo Switch
Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido - Nintendo 3DS / Nintendo Switch
WarioWare Gold - Nintendo 3DS
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Torna The Golden Country - Nintendo Switch

2019 -
Astral Chain - Nintendo Switch (third party dev, but Nintendo owns the IP, so I'm counting it)
BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! - Nintendo Switch
Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Nintendo Switch
Fitness Boxing - Nintendo Switch
Luigi's Mansion 3 - Nintendo Switch
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order - Nintendo Switch
Pokémon Sword and Shield - Nintendo Switch
Ring Fit Adventure - Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Maker 2 - Nintendo Switch
Tetris 99 - Nintendo Switch
Yoshi's Crafted World - Nintendo Switch

2020 -
Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Switch
Fitness Boxing 2 - Nintendo Switch
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - Nintendo Switch (Counting this, since it changed up enough of the look of the game to count as a remake, IMO)
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics - Nintendo Switch
Paper Mario: The Origami King - Nintendo Switch
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - Nintendo Switch

@Ralizah I hate it when people post lists as I just end up nitpicking it. ;p

There was a Fitness Boxing 2 you've not included. It only came to mind as you included the first one.

You've included Tetris 99 but not Super Mario Bros 35, which doesn't seem fair.

Cadence of Hyrule was Ninty published and got a physical release.

There were a couple of other Ninty published digital games like Flip Wars, Good Job!, Kirby Fighters 2 and The Stretchers.

Maybe it's just me but I think it's unfair to leave out Ring Fit, Labo and Mario Kart Live. I'd consider them as more of a game than Jump Rope Challenge.

@jump Well, I'm relying on imperfect online sources, so critique is definitely welcome.

I thought Fitness Boxing 2 came out in 21, but it didn't, so I added it.

No idea how I missed RFA. Added it.

Took out Jump Rope Challenge, since, yeah, it's barely a game.

SMB 35 was a limited piece of software that has now been scrubbed from existence by Nintendo, so I defend my decision not to include it. You couldn't play it now if you wanted.

Mario Kart Live is a borderline case for me, but it's more of a game you play in your living room by using the Switch as an interface, so I'll leave it off.

I'll look into adding those other games you mentioned if they fit my criteria.

Not really. While it is true that it's been awhile since the last "big" game (although I acknowledge Monster Hunter Rise is that for a lot of people), there isn't a shortage of stuff to play, & I'm not even all that into Indies.

Started out the year playing Xenoblade Chronicles: DE (which I got in November 2020, so it took like 3 months for me to beat, lol), went on to 3D World/Bowser's Fury, One Piece Unlimited World Red, Star Wars: Republic Commando, and New Pokemon Snap should be next.

After that I have my eye on the Famicom Detective Club duo, Asha in Monster World, Mario Golf Super Rush, Ninja Gaiden trilogy, & Skyward Sword HD, and I'm sure we'll know more by then since E3 will be out of the way.

I've barely used my switch over the past 6 months or so so personally would have to say yes. 3D World was really the last game I was excited about and as of right now there;s not much on the immediate horizon that looks all that great. MY kids usage has gone down dramatically as well as of late, really hoping they have a big E3.

Sounds like it's you that's in a slump. I don't have enough time or money for all the Switch games I'd like to be playing.

The Switch has been in a drought that they seem to be recovering from, but not a slump. It's still selling, it just hasn't had a lot of games lately. Between the Holiday 2019 and now, there's been almost nothing in terms of games, especially new games. The schedule seems to be picking back up now because we've had bigger games announced this year, but it's been a rough year in terms of quantity and quality of releases (unless you're an Animal Crossing fan, which I am not).

I think the most valid point on this is that beyond just weird Nintendo scheduling or the like, big 3rd party games have become even less common it feels like. Or to be exact, stuff that isn't on some level specifically focused on Nintendo audiences from certain Japanese companies. I could be wrong on that, but it at least feels that way the past little while, especially with Doom Eternal currently stuck as a digital only game.

That being said, it is really funny that one of the best story driven video game series ever announced 2 games finally coming outside of Japan, to the Switch, after just one day of this thread.

Not at all. Switch just came off a good Q1(BD2, MH Rise, P5 Strikers, Ghosts N Goblins, Little Nightmares 2, 3D World, Crash 4 etc). I strongly consider opening your eyes to more genres/different games. I myself have a huge backlog on Switch and struggle to have time to play/buy 'em all.

The Switch is fine, but Nintendo is getting a little stale for me. That comes and goes from time to time.

I don't think the Nintendo Switch as a whole is in a slump, but I do think Nintendo's first party output has been steadily declining since they pretty much went all in with their 2017 line-up and announcements. 2017 is the only year I would say the Switch felt like the successor to both the 3DS and Wii U. Every year since the Switch feels like it could use another system like a Nintendo DS or 3DS to have more new first party experiences available. 2018, 2019 and 2020 have all felt like slightly better Wii era years (not the Wii's 2007 or 2010) from Nintendo. My Switch is still getting a decent amount of playtime, but I find that I'm wondering what Nintendo has next more often with each year. Since it is a successful system, I'm hoping the Switch has one more year like 2017 left in the tank. The Wii had a great second wave in 2010 after 2007, so maybe this year turns around after E3 or 2022 is that year.

@Zeldafan79 I mean just based on sales, it's clearly not in a slump. It continues to sell very very well in almost every region.

And not every game is meant for all audiences. There's always going to be points where we go a while without anything that is our cup of tea.

On the other hand, I do agree in the sense that 2021 really hasn't felt like it's had much released or announced for the Switch this year that's a big, major, new release. The biggest titles I can think of are Pokemon Snap (a spinoff) and the remakes of Skyward Sword and Pokemon Diamond and Pearl.

We've got a healthy flow of indies, A and AA titles. But big major name releases that are actually new either Nintendo or 3rd party? Not all that much so far, either announced or released. So I can see why it might feel like a slump.

As a counterpoint, the only major game so far this year I can think of that's not on Switch is Outriders. Oh there's also It Takes Two, but despite being EA and very successful, I'm not sure if you'd qualify it as a big major release.

...but to be fair, very soon Nier: Replicant and Returnal and RE8 are coming out soon so those are at least games that exist. Those do stand out right now.

But I'm going to point this out as long as possible, there's not actually that many major titles being released that often anymore. Or at least not in the way you think they are. If it was like even a decade ago, the lack of big titles would stand out more. But the lack of big titles is just...kinda normal across video games a lot of the time nowadays.

I don’t think the Switch is in a slump now, the whole world is in a slump now and it would be nothing short of foolish to expect anything world changing from Nintendo this year. They’re a very secretive company so if course they won’t say just how badly they were hit by the pandemic. Having said that hopefully E3 will shine some light on their plans for the rest of the year, because in terms of first party games there has been little.

@Zeldafan79 Just curious, what games do you actually play/want?

@jump I to would like to know.

Traditionally the time by which Nintendo has packed its bags and moved on to the next system, no?

I'm pretty pissed at the quality of semi-realistic racing games on Switch - they all seem to have some sort of drawback, or just generally be mediocre. I'd do anything for an F1 game or something. And no, don't go citing GRID, cos without a physical release it is dead to me. Plus, it's an old game.

I did feel like saying the 3D action genre feels a bit thin on the ground, but I have bought Monster Hunter, Immortals, Outer Worlds (though this got lost in the post so I'm yet to get it) and Journey to the Savage Planet.

I have a gargantuan Switch backlog of games I'm really looking forward to playing more, but I can never quite shake that feeling that there should be more for such a successful system.

I was browsing PS4 games last night, which I don't do often, and was surprised by how many physical releases it has of games that have only had digital, or limited, Switch releases.

That's mainly because the cost of making disks is measured in cents, where cartridges cost tens of dollars. Unless you're phenomenally confident about selling most of your production run, you don't make the latter.

Cartridge based systems have always had smaller libraries because of this, but at least we've got downloads now to level the playing field a bit.

Ninty supports it's sucessful consoles (so not the Wii U ;p ) too long imo. New Pokemon games were being released on the DS when the 3DS was out, Skyward Sword and the Operation Rainfall games came very late in the day for Wii at least worldwide, the 3DS was supported for years after the Switch came out with games like Metroid, Kirby, Mario & Luigi, Pikmin and a few others which could have done better if they were on the Switch instead, same with GBA with games like Donkey Kong, Zelda, Mother 3, WarioWare and others coming after the DS had launched etc

I could do with some more 3D action/adventure games myself. Astral Chain felt a little off, I don't like Monster Hunter everytime I tried one, I'm sick of the Lego and Warriors games at this point yet I've got Persona 5 Strikers still to play, I didn't like Dark Souls etc. At least Luigi's Mansion 3 and Saints Row were good though hopefully the new Resident Evil Revelations or Bayonetta 3 come along soon. Because of this I have found myself drifting to FPS alot more than I normally do with Borderlands, DOOM and Bulletstorm having been loads of fun.