Frenean

@Spudworthy

You should play Zero when that comes to the Switch this year. It's a much improved version of the original game and the control feels leagues better in the remake. I also can't wait for 4!

I don't really know if I would consider Smash a fighter in the same category as Street Fighter, Soul Calibur, etc., but it's without a doubt the best AAA game this year in my opinion. God of War was a great experience but one I really don't feel the need to ever play again and Smash is just pure fun with friends. Also, the fact that Smash outsold God of War in a month when GoW has been out for most of the year, on a console with a smaller install base, is truly incredible. The power of Smash and Nintendo first party games in general is infinite.

@Heavyarms55

Yeah, but Microsoft getting those first party studios under their belt recently has me intrigued. Not that I'm going to get an Xbox or PlayStation next gen, sticking firmly with Nintendo/PC, but I hope Xbox does better than PlayStation next gen because I'm pretty tired of the Sony fanboys acting so smug. I love it that those two consoles keep switching places every generation. PlayStation 2 was bigger than Xbox, Xbox 360 was bigger than PlayStation 3, and now the PS4 is bigger than the Xbox One. I love rooting for the underdogs and find the whole PlayStation vs. Xbox thing amusing, especially since they're both just weak bootleg PCs with way less options.

@bezerker99

"A series that has been known to be exclusive to PlayStation isn't coming to Switch, Switch has no games"

Do you know how stupid you sound?

I really wish they'd just bring Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Fighting Edition over to the Switch. Just discovered this SNES gem a couple of days ago, a Power Rangers game has no right to be as good as that game is. Definitely recommend checking it out, one of my favorite fighting games on SNES.

@maruse

I think the Blazblue games have more interesting stories, but even the best fighting game stories are just okay. I don't find Mortal Kombat games to be that competitive, I've dabbled in 9 and 10. Since I don't really consider Mortal Kombat to be as complex and technical as Street Fighter, I consider it a party fighter like Smash, but one that's too edgy for its own good and not as easy to pick up and play.

@Orin41

Yeah, the over the top gore is pretty much the only reason it ever became popular. I went back to the SNES games recently to try them out and movement is so sluggish and all of the characters punch and kick the same. Street Fighter was and still is the better competitive fighting game franchise.

@Heavyarms55

Yeah, I really don't understand it either. Options are options. Personally I have never even used the YouTube app on the Switch because I have a smart TV and phone, and would probably never watch Netflix on Switch either. Still, options are nice. I just don't really think it's a big deal either way.

Like I'd ever put playtime on this game when I can play Smash instead.

Hard to say, really. The SNES has the best library of any console in history, there's so many classics that I don't even know where to begin.

I don't care about Destiny at all, those games are pretty bad. Really wish Bungie would go back to Microsoft so we'd get good Halo games again.

I'm surprised there are regulars here that haven't blocked Agramonte by now.

Don't even want to think about what's next. Honestly the Switch has by far the best gimmick of any Nintendo platform yet, so I would rather they just do revisions every few years and add more horsepower, better screens, battery life, QOL stuff, etc. The Switch is absolutely my favorite console and handheld since the SNES and GBA.

I hate to say that Call of Duty sucks and sound like everyone else, but it really does. Activision is so bad that they took Modern Warfare 1, remastered it and retroactively added microtransactions to a game that didn't have any originally. Who cares,, the Switch is getting better first person shooters anyway (Metroid Prime 4 and Doom Eternal)

@nocdaes

True, but I think the Switch is Nintendo's best console in terms of hardware and gimmick yet. It truly is the most fun platform I've played on since I was a kid. It's easy to understand, works really well, and the transition from handheld to tv play is so fast and smooth that it feels effortless to just get up out of bed and just slide it into the dock. I liked the 3DS' 3D, but a lot of people I knew said they couldn't see it so I don't think it was entirely successful.

@MysticX

I don't really see how a Switch Pro would be an "F you" to people who already have one, though. No one is forcing you to buy an upgraded version, and if you don't think it's worth the money you don't have to buy it. The current state of the Switch is amazing enough that I really don't see current owners having a big reason to get one other than that they can afford to. Reiterating on a platform and making more powerful versions is ultimately good for the brand, if they do it every 2-3 years I can see the Switch having a very long lifecycle. As long as games are made for the base Switch first, I don't see what the problem is.

@Bevinator

Yeah, me either. I believe that the Switch is a portable that can be played on your TV, but the fact that you can switch between the two is the whole gimmick and I don't see that changing.

I'd buy a Pro, but at the same time I'm not clamoring for one. I mostly play indie and Nintendo games and the OG Switch runs them fine. Plus I bought Satisfye's Pro gaming grip, and it's super comfortable. I'd rather Nintendo focus on some QOL stuff for the Switch first, like themes. GIVE US THEMES MIYAREGGIE-SAN

As much as I love the Wii U, it's a little sad to say that the best thing about it is that it played older games. I'll keep my Wii U around probably forever for that fact, but Switch is definitely on track to have a much better current gen library. The gimmick of the Switch is much better, too. The Switch has plenty of time to get games from SNES to the GameCube, but we aren't getting new, exclusive Wii U Nintendo games and most of the ones that are there are on Switch.

@diwdiws

That's exactly my point. My whole argument is that gameplay and graphics are two completely separate entities, and good graphics don't contribute to a game having better gameplay. If the gameplay is fun, the game is fun. Red Dead Redemption 2 is in my opinion a game that focuses more on presentation and narrative than it does just being a fun game, and why it just doesn't really interest me all that much.

Again, this is all subjective. I firmly stand by my belief that a game doesn't need bleeding edge graphics to be fun. I get a lot more irritated when a game is very nice to look at but has mediocre gameplay than I do when a game has mediocre graphics but is fun to play.

@diwdiws

My point is that graphics shouldn't dictate how fun a game is at all, whether it's more or less fun. Games like Celeste prove that you don't have to have bleeding edge graphics to be a great, fun game.

@diwdiws

I can't really tell you, that's subjective. All I know is that better graphics/engines don't automatically make a game good or fun.

@SpaceboyScreams

I can understand where he's coming from, though. We've already gotten more third party characters than we've ever seen in Smash, and the game is supposed to be a Nintendo brawler. That being said, I personally love the third party support and will take any DQ character I can get. Hopefully his moveset is very unique because we already have plenty of anime swordfighters.

@westman98

Yeah, and what's sad is that these publishers are still making bank. That's because you have people who are giving them tons of money in microtransactions, but these people are the minority and I think consumers are finally starting to get fed up with how AAA games are being designed nowadays: to get as much money outside of the initial purchase as possible.

Hopefully there's a big shake up or crash so publishers wake up.

@NotSoCryptic

Expecting a handheld to be a end all be all platform is ridiculous, though. Expecting big and technically demanding games on a machine I can almost fit into my back pocket with the joy cons detached isn't practical. If the Switch was able to run a game like The Witcher 3 at max settings like my PC can, the battery would die in like 5-10 minutes.

Also, you didn't really address my point that a lot of these big budget games some people are expecting are usually monetized up the wazoo past the initial MSRP. It's hard for me to be immersed or have fun in a game that I paid $60 for and has a cash shop, that created a problem it wants to sell you the solution for. (Assassin's Creed Odyssey and its ridiculous exp booster) These games seem to be focused on profit instead of delivering a great game the developers truly wanted to make, and some people defend it because "mah graphics".

Luckily most of these big AAA third party publishers are bleeding in stock value, so hopefully they get the message that consumers are getting tired of the disrespect and live service garbage.

The Switch has proven that a console doesn't need the most power available to have great games created for it. (Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart, Super Mario Odyssey, Some cool, etc.) Indie games have proven that with a great art style and a lot of heart, they can be critical darlings at 1/3rd or less the price of these big AAA games. (Shovel Knight, Yoku's Island Express, Hollow Knight, The Messenger, Undertale, Celeste, etc.)

I'm not saying that having more horsepower doesn't allow for developers to do more with games, but it isn't always used for things that are really important. Who asked for horse genitalia physics in RDR2? Who genuinely enjoys how tedious they made hunting, who thinks that tank controls for your player character in 2018 are enjoyable besides those who value immersion above all else? Did we really need a hunger meter in RDR2? Just make your game fun. That's what I look for most in games.

Lastly, don't tell me I'm not aware that stronger hardware allows for more development tools. There's a reason why I game on PC and not on PlayStation/Xbox these days, and that's precisely because I know that if I want the most out of a technically demanding game, I'll get it on PC. PS4/Xbox One are pretty outdated by this point, and their successors will be shortly after they launch. PC is the ideal place to play big budget games. That's not what I'm looking for on my Switch, and my Switch has seen the most playtime out of all my platforms since launch. It's now my go to place for indie games, which I play more than anything else, and I always look forward to the next stellar Nintendo title.

@NotSoCryptic

The boundaries of what we expect for a game is 10x more important than pushing technical boundaries imo. Games that focus on being creative and fun are the best kind, and this is coming from someone who games on PC as well as Switch. Only two of the games on his list aren't monetized to nickel and dime the consumer (well, actually 3 if you count RDR2 but its online component is half the package and it's very anti consumer)

@astrofan1993

My fiance is dying to play Trauma Center on the Switch. We would be all over this.

@Nomad

I'd like a port of it just to see how well they can optimize it for Switch, but I probably wouldn't buy it seeing as I have it on PC. It'd be nice to get new people into the game though, one of the best this generation!

Love Street Fighter, but I'll never touch V again after they announced putting freakin' advertisements on in-game outfits. Capcom can piss right off.

Don't really care about most of this list, but Bioshock, Yakuza, Portal, Nier, and Persona 5 would be nice. Kind of a pointless article, really. I just want developers to focus on new games for the Switch, or to get older Nintendo games on it. I've played most of the games on this list already.

(Started on Yoku's Island Express today, if the game maintains the amount of sheer joy it brings me it'll definitely skyrocket to the top of my best games of 2018 list.)

@colinjack

Local multiplayer is more important. I've had ten times more fun with friends in person than I ever did with them online.

This isn't surprising, the Pro is the best controller since the original Xbox 360 one.

@BlueBlur101

Eh, it's a standalone game as well though. You can buy it without ever having owned XBC2.

@Yomerodes

Well I personally can't consider it my GotY, but if I didn't care about release dates it most certainly would be. Hollow Knight is not only the best singleplayer game I've played this year, it's one of my favorite games of all time.

@sketchturner

Is it that good? I'm trying to use up a gift card and I've been eyeing it on the eShop

For me it's gotta be:

Nintendo Switch exclusive:

1.) Smash
2.) Torna: The Golden Country
3.) Octopath Traveler

Nindies

1.) Celeste
2.) Overcooked 2
3.) The Messenger

(Hollow Knight doesn't count unfortunately because it came out last year on other systems or else it would be my number 1)

@Preposterous

Eh, even if the state of the industry gets worse and worse, there will always be Nintendo and indie games. If Nintendo decides to go full Ubisoft/EA/Activision Blizzard in the future, though, I'm going to stick to indies and retro games. As for GO, it's pretty enjoyable and I doubt it'll ever fully take the place of core Pokemon games on dedicated Nintendo hardware.

Will have to throw Donut County on the wishlist!

@Giygas_95

I agree, the cut scenes were the only great part of Subspace in my opinion. World of Light may be a bit repetitive, but I find it more fun because it focuses on fighting instead of mediocre platforming.

@Desa

I think so too, I'm sure his mom and manager are more concerned about this than the kid is for the money.

@SBandy

Alright dude, I'm blocking you and hope others follow suit. You call Anti Matter a petty child yet are displaying the behavior of one.

@SBandy He has talked smack about Microsoft and Sony in other articles, but he didn't in this one. He was just poking fun at Nintendo haters.

@SBandy

Eh, he's cringey but not wrong in this case.

@hatch

Are there technical issues? I'm genuinely curious what's wrong with it because it's exactly due to nostalgia that I'm interested in it.

I actually love this game, I play it from time to time at a Japanese arcade here in California. The boost system is the best in the series, though I'm not so big on the rng karts/items.

@Bass_X0

I don't really think that's a problem. Mario is the mascot and face of Nintendo, like Mickey Mouse is to Disney. I was surprised enough that we even got a bunch of alternate costumes in Odyssey, but his original costume will most likely always be his default. Zelda is a huge franchise for Nintendo too, but not as much and for most of the games they each have a different iteration of Link, whereas Mario has been the same dude since the beginning.

@Dualmask

I've gotta disagree, absolutely love the Link Between Worlds Zelda design and I think it's cool that all of the Zelda characters have designs from a few different games (BotW Adult Link, OoT Ganondorf/Shiek Majora's Mask Young Link, Toon Link, and ALBW Zelda). It pays tribute to the series as a whole and seeing as Zelda is my favorite game series of all time, I love that.

Love Voez, reignited my interest in the genre. Fingers crossed!

@bones

This isn't a dragon ball character, and they will never have Goku in Smash. Get over it.

Eh, Sony has no-one to blame but themselves for what happened with the Vita. I never picked one up because the price for their memory cards were outlandish. I think the only game I really missed out on was Persona 4 Golden.

@subpopz

Exactly this, the game has been badly optimized across the board and even if the concept is cool and it has a lot of content, that almost makes me more upset that the developers focus more on adding things to the game than they do fixing it.