Topic: The Switch Recommendations Thread

@Trailblazerkeebler A fellow Hand of Fate 2 connoisseur, eh? My brother! For a AAA experience, Dying Light is an impressive port on Switch. For a AA experience, Ys VIII is a whirlwind adventure. And for an A experience, CrossCode is one of the best indies on the block.

These are just the sorts I'm looking for. Thanks @magician. Have you tried Inscryption?

@Trailblazerkeebler I have not, but I've heard nothing but good things though.

@Trailblazerkeebler

Enter the gungeon
portal companion collection
Deltarune

Will check them out. Thanks @WaffleBoat

@Magician @Trailblazerkeebler - Heads up guys, Inscryption is one of the finest games I've played this year.... and an amazing show-piece/benchmark for Indie developpers. A weird mash of Rogue/Deck-Builder/RPG/Puzzle.... and an amazing meta/horror narrative. A nice brief 10-12 hour playthrough also, and doesn't overstay its welcome (although there is a NG+ mode of sorts for those hungry for more)
One of the most original and unique games I've ever played, and fiendishly addictive. Highly recommend, BUT make sure you go in as 'blind' as possible to avoid spoilers!!

I saw the trailer for inscryption but that's all. Appreciate the recommendation @CJD87

@Trailblazerkeebler 100% go for it, such a cool unique game. Would make an ideal side-dish, whilst playing something larger like TOTK for instance

I'll recommend some of my favorite games on Switch, and ones that I think are not just great games worth playing, but worth playing specifically on Switch OLED as quality releases that utilize the system's strengths to make the experience even better.

Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
I've never played a better 2D platformer, and likely never will. It's that good, and comes with the highest recommendation

Metroid Dread
Best 2D Metroid game I've played, and best 2D metroivania in general for that matter. Highly recommended.

Metroid Prime Remastered
An experience unlike anything else out there (well, aside from the two sequels, obviously). One of my favorite games of all time, and that's been the case for 20 years now.

Zelda Breath of the Wild
One of the best games I've played. But play it before Tears of the Kingdom if you can. Otherwise it may feel lacking by comparison.

Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
My new favorite game of all time. We'll see where it ranks in hindsight given the due course of time, but any way you slice it, this is a game nobody should miss.

Splatoon 3
Splatoon is so addictive and so much fun, it's hard to express how much better it is than I expected when I played the original back on Wii U. I don't even like competitive shooters. But this is one that anybody can enjoy. Probably because gyro aiming and the fact it's not all about headshots means anyone can contribute without having an elite set of skills. Highly recommended.

Fire Emblem Three Houses
One of my favorite grid based strategy games ever made. Though I do concede the gameplay of Engage is superior, as an overall package I think this one comes out on top. Absolute must-play

Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope
An exceptional game. It offers depth, it's crazy fun, and extremely well polished. Kingdom Battle is also good but Sparks of Hope gets my nomination on this list.

Triangle Strategy
This one genuinely surprised me. Most grid based strategy games that aren't Fire Emblem struggle to match its quality, but this is one srpg I would absolutely not hesitate to place shoulder to shoulder with Fire Emblem.

Trails of Cold Steel 3/4
Two games in one listing here. The Trails games are all interconnected, and admittedly it's best to start with Trails of Cold Steel. Unfortunately the first 2 games aren't on Switch. However, there is a notable story resolution at the end of the 2nd game which, although the story is contiguous with 3 and 4, it does offer somewhat of a clean break to jump in with the 3rd entry. I did, and had no problems. Better to jump in with Cold Steel 3 than not jump in at all. For real. It's that good, you definitely don't wanna miss these games.

Trails To Zero / Trails From Azure
These two PSP remasters stand as a duology. They're older but very good, and the Switch versions are the ones to play, as they have a whole laundry list of improvements alongside the Steam release that makes them superior to the PS releases

Sniper Elite 4
I usually don't like stealth games. But this is more of a hybrid between stealth and action. It's extremely good. Gyro aiming. HD rumble so you can feel your beating heart when holding your breath for a snipe. This series is extremely under rated. Easily makes it into my top 50 games of all time. Maybe even top 30. And #1 for its genre.

Super Mario Odyssey
Best 3D platformer I've played. Nuff said.

Portal Companion Collection
Two of the greatest video games of all time. If ya know, ya know. These games should be mandatory for any self-respecting gamer.

Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak
Ah, Monster Hunter. A series I initially bounced off of, yet did a complete 180 on once I learned the mechanics and understood the hook. This game is pure fire. It will demand a lot from you, but you get out what you put in. Make the investment to learn, and you might just find your new favorite game of all time.

Persona 5 Royal
Now, I personally think Persona 4 Golden is the better game, however, I don't think it's the better game to start with if you're new to the series. Besides which, many will tell you 5 is the better game so there's a good chance you'll feel the same. Immaculate JRPG. Do not miss.

Nier Automata
Very, very good game. There's really nothing else like it. Yes, it has that classic Platinum Games combat, but it's so much more. Highly recommend

Bayonetta 3
My personal pick for best action game. Now. Some may feel Bayonetta 2 is still the best. Some may even feel Astral Chain wears the crown. But I think Bayonetta 3 offers an experience that should not be missed.

Resident Evil Revelations Collection
Wow. Two of my favorite Resident Evil games in one package. Aside from RE4 Remake, they're probably my top picks. Some feel RER2 isn't as good as the first, and maybe it's not, but I still think it's an exceptional game absolutely worthy of your time. Gyro aiming with HD rumble. And if you're playing with joycon, you can do reload gestures which, ok theyre not as fast as the button, but they're way more fun. Honorable mention: Resident Evil 5.

Ori and the Blind Forest
If you love metroidvanias this is a must play. Simple as that.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps
If you love metroidvanias, this is also a must play. Just as good as the first.

Final Fantasy X
My favorite Final Fantasy game- the pinnacle of turn based combat. It's straight forward and flawless battle system and skill tree still, to this day, puts other JRPGs to shame. This is an all time classic.

I think Pikmin 4 will make the recommendations list if it's anywhere close to being as good as Pikmin 3. The only reason I did not list Pikmin 3 is because Pikmin 4 is coming out so soon. I also think Trials Rising is one of the absolute best games I've played, but that's one I recommend playing another version of, since handheld mode has some framerate issues. DOOM, DOOM Eternal and Wolfenstein 2 would make the list, but likewise I think those are better played on SteamDeck. If you only have Switch, DOOM Eternal is a quality experience still. Maybe skip the first though and, especially Wolf 2. Just takes too much of a resolution hit. Games like Bioshock Trilogy would make the list if they offered gyro aiming on Switch, but they don't.

There's soooooo many more top-shelf games to recommend, but listing them all would be futile. You reach a point of analysis paralysis, and that's not a good thing.

Ok, there is my recomendation list:
Dark Souls: Remastered and Diablo III: Eternal Collection - just a great ports of a great games. The best hanhelded experience.
Fatal Frame IV Mask of the Lunar Eclipse and Fatal Frame V Maiden of Black Water - the best horror series. It'll be better if you'll play it on big screen on Playstation. But if you don't have it, then Switch is also nice option.
Fire Emblem Three Houses - another part of great jrpg series (now in full 3D) where you can be a teacher for your own teammates. It's also have a four different endings.
Fire Emblem Three Houses - the same game as Three Houses, but more friendly for novices.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land - the best Kirby game of all time. Very similar to Mario Odyssey, but with Kirby.
Shin Megami Tensei V - another SMT masterpiece and my favorite game on Switch.
Tokyo Mirage Session #FE Encore - nice jrpg for people who want more persona-like games on Switch. You can enjoy it more if you played Fire Emblem Series before, especially FE Awakening
Xenoblade Chronicles Trilogy - a great jrpg series with great story, characters and gameplay. I really recommend it for all jrpg enjoyers.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist : Link Evolution - the great card game with huge story mode and with many different cards. Strongly recommend for any Yu-Gi-Oh! fan.

Games that I can't recommend on Switch:
Astral Chan - as a MGR enjoyer I was a very disappointed by primitive story, annoying characters and one-button gameplay.
Kill la Kill IF - the game is good, but Switch version is horrible. Very long loading time, short game always was crashed 3 times in different places and it's runs only in 30 fps. Just buy it on Playstation.
SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy - just don't buy this game. It didn't worth any of your time or money.

Have you looked into Animal Crossing?

If you want a Nintendo platformer, some of the Kirby games tend to be a bit easier than Mario games. Or if you want a cheap simple platformer to dip your toes in, indie games like Dadish could work (warning, many Dad jokes as well as platforming).

Nintendo also has some party games which can be very fun family games and have simple controls such as Big Brain Academy or Warioware. @random_player

@random_player

Perhaps this site list of the best 3D platformers on Switch can help:

https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/best-nintendo-switch-3d-p...

There's also a list for the best 2D platformers here:

https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/best-nintendo-switch-2d-p...

Hope you find these useful.

@random_player totally understand. I’ve seen a lot of kids get addicted to the game. Since the voices are their own language, you can’t just switch the text to your language?

@random_player The game my nieces liked & played the most was Mario Odyssey. My nieces didn't start to grasp navigating a 3d game until they were 6-ish. As far as I've seen, I think my nieces skewed more toward late bloomers with using a controller. I think it's possible your son will probably catch on to Mario Odyssey pretty quickly, granted you play with him and show him the ropes. I gladly played though Mario Odyssey three times with my nieces because it's so fun. (My nieces were 5, 8, and 11 years old when they first started playing the game).

As far as the easiest game, my best recommendation is Spot the Differences Party!. We play this every holiday or when we vist.
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/spot-the-differences-...

Mario Kart 8 does have optional assist settings so a kid that doesn't know how to use a controller can still tag along. On the kart part selection page and in the pause menu, there is a menu to toggle a steering assist option, and an acceleration assist - these two assists will keep your kid on the track, or even finish the race for them if they don't know what to do. (although, when my youngest niece was 4-5 years old, she mainly liked to just keep picking characters(over and over) to see & hear the emote they have in the setup menu.)

If your son gets to a point where he can play on his own in a year or so, I recommend Lego City Undercover. It's an open world single player (it also lets you play 2player coop, if you want). It's kind of like a grand theft auto for kids without the mature stuff, with lots of missions, and you can take random cars and drive around. It's a great game, and it regularly goes on sale for $6 USD, which is a steal.

@random_player Yeah, the assists are rather genius for their inclusivity, allowing little ones in the family to play along.

Just be aware, if your kart ever steers funny, press pause to turn off whatever assist is left on. If steering assist was left on from a previous game, it won't let you steer off the track for the strategic stortcuts that are on virtually every track. And if motion steering (also in the assist menu) is turned ON without you knowing, it can make your kart steer funny. So, make sure it's off if you ever notice your kart turning without you touching the analog stick.

I pasted the video link so it plays at the part where they mention the assists.

Man, that really bites.

What are some good city builder games on the Switch?
I've heard Cities: Skylines's port is terrible, so are there any good alternatives?
I have Islanders, but that's more of a puzzle game as opposed to a traditional city builder

Dragon Quest Builders 2

@HankScorpio There are none that I'm aware of. Like Cities Skylines, Tropico 6 doesn't run all that well. Dorfromanik has been well received, but I haven't played it and it looks to be more of a puzzle game. However, Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists is a lowkey good city sim, if the sugary sweet aesthetic and slice-of-life aspect don't put you off.