Tag: Switch Essentials
Feature Best Nintendo Switch 'Walking Simulators' And Narrative Games
These boots were made for environmental storytelling
While the terminology around these games might cause some confusion, the (first-person) adventure or narrative-focused 'walking simulator' has made its mark on the gaming landscape over the past decade or so. The 'walking simulator' term, originally a pejorative descriptor of a genre where 'you...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Open-World Games
You see that mountain?...
You see that mountain on the horizon? You can go there! That old gaming chestnut has been around for a long time now, but for old-school gamers who remember the compartmentalised kingdoms of yore, there's a special magic still to be derived from being able to trek your way to a distant summit. Video games, eh? Marvellous...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch RPGs
The finest traditional-style Switch RPGs available to humanity
Nintendo Switch has amassed a huge number of quality titles across almost every category since launching back in 2017, and the RPG genre is certainly no exception. Below you'll find our picks for the console's essential role-playing games, in no particular order. This selection will...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Couch Co-Op Games
Teamwork makes the dream work
While there's a huge variety of gaming experiences available on Switch, there's a good chance that couch co-op games were a big part of the reason you bought Nintendo's hybrid console. After all, the Switch is tailor-made for those experiences thanks to its Joy-Con controllers, which double up as two separate pads when...
Feature Best TATE Mode Nintendo Switch Games
Turn your world sideways with these amazing games
TATE mode – or 'portrait' mode if you prefer – is just one of the features that make the Nintendo Switch such an attractive system for players. While TATE games are, by and large, found in the shmup genre, there are a few notable exceptions on Switch which use the thinner-yet-taller aspect ratio...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Horror Games
Pack a spare pair of underpants
Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night? Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic? Have you or your family ever seen a spook, spectre or ghost? If the answer is "no"... you obviously haven't been playing any of the excellent horror games available on Nintendo Switch. There's...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Fighting Games
Final Round. Fight!
It's ironic that one of the most violent video game genres is also one which has pulled millions of people together; ever since the early days of Fatal Fury and Street Fighter II, the humble 'fighting game' genre has created (and arguably ended) countless friendships. This style of game is perfect for social multiplayer malarkey...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Online Multiplayer Games
The best online games available for Switch right now
Nintendo Switch is the perfect console for local multiplayer - simply crack off those Joy-Con and start having fun with whoever happens to be in the room with you. However, the console has built up a solid portfolio of online multiplayer games since launch, too, and we've picked out a handful - in...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Action-RPGs
Hack-and-slashers welcome
When does an RPG become an action RPG? Is it the moment turn-based battles are switched out for real-time combat? When does an action RPG stray into adventure or hack-and-slash territory, then? Do numbers have to go up? What year is this? Who is the President? It's questions like these that keep the more fastidious among...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Exclusives
Games you can only play on Nintendo Switch
Nintendo's Switch has become home to a great many games over the last three years. A great deal of them have appeared on other platforms, whether celebrated indie games or huge AAA releases getting a second wind on Nintendo's handheld hybrid. However, the console is also home to a clutch of brilliant...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch 2D Platformers
Jump around
With so many excellent platformers available on Switch, picking something out from the overwhelming selection can be hard. The genre has a very strong pedigree on Nintendo systems going all the way back to the original Super Mario Bros. on NES (which you can find on Switch along with several of its celebrated sequels via the Nintendo...
Feature Hidden Gems On Nintendo Switch eShop
Find these buried treasures on the Switch eShop
The term ‘hidden gem’ gets bandied around a lot, and often erroneously; an occasionally overlooked entry in a long-running, celebrated franchise isn't a hidden gem. Of course, sometimes the game in question truly went unnoticed and unloved by the masses and is worth digging up, but more often than...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Strategy Games
The best RTS, 4X, strategy and tactics games on Switch
Strategy and tactics games by their very nature require deep thought and careful consideration, and many gamers these days often find it hard to embark on epic multi-hour campaigns in a single sitting. Planning a multi-turn offensive in a 4X game like Civilization or outfitting your party with...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Kart Racing Games
Who could possibly be in pole position?
When it comes to kart racers, there's one undisputed king of the crop on Nintendo systems, and we're not talking Crash Bandicoot. Let's not kid ourselves here - we all know what's sitting at number one on the list below of the best (and worst) kart racers on Nintendo Switch. With a record like Schumacher in...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Music And Rhythm Games
Not rushing, not dragging
Whether you're a rhythm-gaming master or just enjoy getting down to the funky beat, there are a wealth of games available on Switch that cater to the musically inclined. From games that give you a full body workout to titles that test the timing of a single digit, we were surprised to see just how many excellent rhythm and...
Guide Every Arcade Archives Game On Nintendo Switch, Plus Our Top Picks
A complete list of Hamster's Arcade Archives Switch titles
Since 2017 we've seen a steady supply of Hamster's Arcade Archives releases bringing arcade classics to the Switch eShop. What's more, the series includes previously unreleased or hard-to-find arcade games from Nintendo itself. Having been so well acquainted with many of the NES versions,...
Guide Every ACA Neo Geo Game On Nintendo Switch, Plus Our Top Picks
A complete list of Hamster's ACA Neo Geo Switch titles
Much like Hamster's Arcade Archives series, the company's line of Neo Geo titles - which goes by the bespoke title 'ACA NEOGEO' to separate it from the rest - has been a regular fixture of the weekly Nintendo Switch eShop download lists. With over a hundred releases under the ACA banner, Hamster...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Fitness And Exercise Games
Get in shape with these Switch games
Cooped up at home and need something to keep you active? Looking to get in shape but find the lure of gaming too hard to resist? Worry not, because with Switch it's easy to mix your favourite pastime with a little cardiovascular exercise to get your blood pumping. Below we've collected our picks of the best...
Feature Best Switch Ports - The Most Impressive Ports On Nintendo Switch
Port city
Few could have predicted just how successful Nintendo's hybrid console would be prior to launch back in March 2017. For the preceeding decade or so, third-party publishers tended to overlook Nintendo's hardware for a variety of reasons, but Switch has attracted a huge number of the world's premier developers back to Nintendo hardware, some...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Family Games
Fun for the whole family
Switch is the perfect console for co-op multiplayer gaming and certainly goes down a treat at a party, but if you want to play games with your young kids and granny and granddad, it can be tough to find games that are genuinely fun for everyone involved. We know from personal experience the delicate balance of holding a...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Party Games
Maximum fun, minimum fuss
So, you're having a party - possibly on a rooftop - dancing to the music and all that jazz, but suddenly there's a lull. Fear not because we've got just the thing to get the party started again! Nintendo Switch has a whole host of crowd-pleasing co-op and competitive party games, whether you're hosting a birthday party for...
Feature Best Retro Nintendo Switch Games - Modern Games With Old-School Style
Scratch that nostalgia itch with these Switch neo-classics
Ah nostalgia - it's a tricksy thing. How many times have we gone back to revisit a treasured classic only to find that modern games have spoiled it for us? For all the brilliant aspects of retro games, the mod cons and performance we're used to now are pretty fantastic, too, and sometimes...
Feature Relaxing Switch Games - Chill Games For Nintendo Switch
Switch and chill
Had a tough day? When it comes to getting adrenaline coursing and your pulse racing, there are more than enough video games that fit the bill. Whether battling to recover your humanity in Dark Souls, making it to the final two in a round of Fortnite or going up against a rock-hard retro classic, there are plenty of Switch games to...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Beat 'Em Ups
Take the fight to the mean streets
Beat 'em ups have been a staple of gaming since the mid-1980s when Kung Fu Master birthed the genre in the arcades. It was arguably 1987’s Double Dragon which kicked off the golden age of the side-scrolling brawler, though, and some of our best gaming memories involve strutting down streets and getting into...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Puzzle Games
Piecing it together
From the very beginning, Nintendo handhelds have been a powerhouse in the puzzle genre, championing games that might have been lost in the bombastic, graphics-obsessed arena of home consoles. Switch’s bridging of the portable/home console divide means it upholds that proud puzzling tradition and gives on-the-go gamers a chance...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch 3D Platformers
Workin' the Z-axis
Ah, the 3D platformer. Ever since Super Mario 64 landed and showed everyone just how good three-dimensional platforming could be there have been developers hoping to capture just a smidgen of that game’s magic. It was a tough act to follow, even for the plumber himself, but his latest outing on Switch has him at the very top of...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch FPS Games
Now featuring Crysis Remastered
Nintendo Switch's bulging catalogue of games covers practically every genre, and First-Person Shooters are no exception. It's a welcome change because Nintendo systems have historically lagged a little behind other consoles in the FPS field despite hosting some classics. GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark helped define...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Golf Games
Spoil your walk with Switch
When it comes to golf, we're down for almost anything. Crazy golf, mini golf, putt-putt, or any other variant; we're always up for a round. We'll even play normal, proper, ‘big‘ golf. After all, nothing beats walloping a tiny ball around the countryside in loud trousers. We're also partial to video game versions of...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Short Games
Blast through these games in a single sitting
The Switch is the perfect console if you travel a lot, for work or pleasure. The console's portability makes it the perfect choice if you're spending any time at all in planes, trains and automobiles. Of course, you may choose to pass the time playing a trusted standby, or grinding through your...
Feature Games To Play After You've Finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Attack of the (Zelda) Clones
In the tears since we first ventured out onto the great plains of a truly open Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we’ve found all the shrines, defeated Calamity Ganon and scoured the kingdom for every last item and Korok seed. We’ve seen it all–and we went back to see it again in
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Shmups
Shoot 'em up, all of 'em
The humble shoot ‘em up has been a staple genre ever since the very beginning of video games when Spacewar! laid down the basic groundwork in 1962. No, that is not a typo; in the year that Marilyn Monroe died and The Beatles recorded ‘Love Me Do’, some boffins at MIT were busy inventing video games. Of course, it...
Feature Best Switch Sports Games
Be a sport
Since the dawn of humankind we homo sapiens have sought to prove ourselves with competitive feats of skill, dexterity or sheer strength. This has taken many forms, but usually involves performing some task in the quickest time, besting your opponent(s) in a physical bout, or scoring the most goals or points or something, usually with a...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Games For Kids
The best Switch games for your little ones
Nintendo Switch is a console with brilliant software for gamers young and old. Nintendo's wholesome, family-friendly image is well-earned, and with characters like Mario, Luigi and the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom gang, Switch games to cater to the young and the young-at-heart alike. With its excellent...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Metroidvania Games
Now with even more Shantae!
The word 'Metroidvania' might rub some core gamers the wrong way, but it's a useful catch-all to describe a very specific type of game experience. Combining elements from both the Metroid series and Koji Igarashi-produced Castlevania titles, this broad platforming genre has you using an ever-growing skill set to open up...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Racing Games
Feel the requirement for rapidity!
While the Nintendo Switch lacks the raw processing grunt of the Xbox One and PS4, petrol heads have been increasingly well served on the hybrid console, with a steadily growing catalogue of fantastic racers that offer plenty of arcade thrills and spills - and you can do it on the move. Give it a try on your next...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Games - The Best Switch Games 2020
The very best Switch games ever (so far)
Nintendo Switch has amassed a huge amount of great games since the console launched over three years ago. Of course, this abundance of riches leaves us in something of a pickle - too much software, not enough time to play it all. In fairness, it's a lovely problem to have - Help! There are too many excellent...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Games Of 2017
I just wanna go back, back to 2017
Remember 2017? While it might be something of a hazy memory now, that was the fateful year when Nintendo released the Switch to the world. The portable powerhouse would hit the ground running with the wonderful The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild upon its March 2017 launch. July 2017 saw the colourful...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Games Of 2019
The best games from Switch's third year
2019 was a fantastic year for Nintendo Switch owners, with a stellar lineup from the platform holder itself joined by a near-endless stream of brilliant third party games; finding the time to play them all was by far the biggest problem facing Switch (and Switch Lite) gamers. Nintendo's console got off to a...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Games Of 2018
The very best games from Switch's sophomore year
Cast your minds back, if you will, deep into the mists of time, all the way back to 2018. Yes, a lot has happened since then, not least where Nintendo Switch is concerned! After a barnstorming opener which featured genre-defining winners like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes, Roguelites And Run-Based Games
Like Rogue?
When it comes to modern video games, there are few more polarising terms than 'roguelike'. That divisive descriptor draws some players like moths to a flame, while others run a mile at the mere whisper of it. These days, it often feels like 'roguelike'--which refers to dungeon crawler Rogue from 1980--is attached to every other indie...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Run And Gun Games
Mega Men, Mugmen and more
The library of games on Nintendo Switch has expanded rapidly since the console launched back in 2017 and it now boasts a huge number of great games in practically every genre. Keeping up with all the releases coming to the Switch eShop on a weekly basis can be a challenge, but what a fantastic problem to have! We've...
Feature Best Free Switch Games - Download And Play Right Now
Free-to-play right away
How times change! It used to be that you went to your local video game emporium, took your chosen game to the counter, handed over cold hard cash and raced home to pop it in your console. Not only has digital distribution removed the need to even leave the house, but many games can be downloaded to your console for absolutely...
Feature Every SEGA AGES Game On Nintendo Switch, Plus Our Top Picks
Blue skies smiling at me
Since the 2018 release of SEGA AGES Sonic the Hedgehog, we've seen a slow and steady flow of classic SEGA games arrive on Switch eShop courtesy of developer and retro port specialists M2. This is the same company responsible for the excellent SEGA 3D Classics line for 3DS. While not as plentiful or frequent as Hamster's...
