So far, I definitely agree about Three Houses being the top game. It’s potentially my favorite game on the Switch 1 period, though I’d really have to think about it. I loved Three Houses a lot. That said, I wonder where I’d place Fortune’s Weave as time goes on. I’d say Three Houses simplifies and organizes a lot of FE, but Fortune’s Weave expands it and makes it messier in all the right ways so far.

That said, Radiant Dawn deserves a far better place in this list and Engage is way too high. Engage is sort of a goofy game, honestly. It’s a lot of fun to play, but the story is the kind of stuff we can only accept if it’s coming from a place of love. 😂

Glad to see Japanese gamers have taste. Fortune’s Weave is just so darn cozy to play. It’s the first game in a little bit where I find myself wishing I was playing the game more often and for a longer duration. It’s really quite good.

Japan. It’s Toriyama. It IS Dragon Quest. The western one is Dragon Warrior, a game that is afraid of its true identity.

I’m maybe a dozen hours in, could be more, but not significantly. I don’t have much time to play, but whenever I boot it up, I know I sink over an hour in at a time. It’s starting to leap over games I’ve beaten, and I’ve barely scraped the surface.

Control Resonant, Fire Emblem, and Well Dweller. Incredible line-up! The recent release slate is giving me late 90’s/2023 flashbacks.

Castlevania is one of those series in gaming that, for all its ups and downs, is such a remarkable series. I love the games. The first one sticks with me too.

I remember playing it as a child. Vampire Killer is one of those definitive tracks that feels like an encapsulation of gaming itself. To see the series develop through Simon’s Quest, Castlevania 3, Super Castlevania, SotN, Aria of Sorrow, etc… Man, what a ride it’s been. I replay a Castlevania game on a yearly basis. I’m not sure what my most replayed series is, but Castlevania’s definitely a contender, along with Megaman, Super Mario, Galaga, etc.

Guessing a 9/10, but I don’t have nearly the kind of free time someone would have to have to evaluate the game in totality at this point. I’ve played an hour a day since it came out and that’s like 2% of the game.

Cai’s the only character I’ve played so far. I will say that I sort of think the fifth protagonist feels unnecessary so far, but that may change. I’ve not seen Leda’s or Dietrich’s arc at all, but Theodora seems like an interesting character so far too.

I’d love them if I was super wealthy. But in my current reality, I buy consoles as early as I can and don’t replace them unless i absolutely need to, so I’ve never bought a series branded console. I’d rather buy games and groceries.

@johnedwin I mean, I disagree. I liked the PS2 era a lot, but I wouldn’t say it was the golden era. I also think a lot of PS2 games have aged poorly for myself, so that could be a factor for me. I did appreciate the odder corners of the PS2 catalog though. Things like Gitaroo Man or Mr Mosquito seem pretty fresh in the catalog, for instance, Team Ico’s games are still just as moving, and Ratchet and Clank is better than most games Sony has made this generation.

For me, truly SNES/N64/PS1 feels most golden era when I think about it because that’s where I developed a foundational taste in gaming. As much as I still love my NES era platformers, that era pushed me into more complicated and diverse games.

That said, when I think just a bit more deeply, the Switch 1 era feels more golden because it was an era not only of strong first party games, but also as a celebration of retro content and a larger appreciation for indie developers. I’m big on indie games, so my feeling may be from that. I do feel I played more games on the Switch 1 than any other console too. Games were cheap and there was a lot of quality. I suppose you could say the same thing about the PS2 era, but Switch’s library just overall catered to me more

Switch 1 deserves the win. It truly was a golden era for gaming and it has such a rich and diverse a catalog of games. For families on a budget (especially gaming novice families), it’s a remarkable purchase, honestly…

Man, Fire Emblem deserved that #1 spot. A few hours in, it’s sort of obvious it’ll be a GOTY contender. Would’ve been a win for gaming to see a “game game” defeat a “licensed IP.” I’m sure FE beat Wolverine in Japan. Gotta wonder if Wolverine will be able to take a second week at the top.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. Three hours in, I think we’ve possibly got Capcom’s first competition for the GotY trophy this year. It just feels so right from the start of it… I’m so glad it feels very Three Houses already.

I loved the demo for Maestro, honestly. I’m sort of tempted to grab that one along with Fire Emblem, which I’ve already started.

For the most part, I actually prefer the new designs, I’m surprised to say. I really like how Zelda games are starting to get this puppetry kind of look to them. I don’t know why, but these Ocarina redesigns remind me of marionettes in the way that Link’s Awakening reminded me of Rankin Bass.

@ShadowRJ I hope it does! Fire Emblem could use the sales boost whereas I’m sure the casuals will lap up Wolverine. I wouldn’t be surprised if people saw the Wolverine reviews and pulled the trigger on Onimusha or Dawnwalker instead already too.

Personally, was never going to touch Wolverine, but I can’t wait for a proper Fire Emblem. Hope this one hits me more like Three Houses than Engage. I liked them both, but Three Houses really competes with BotW, Dread, and Mario Odyssey for being the best game on Switch 1.

Good to see Onimusha in first place! I suspect Orbitals found its niche audience at launch and didn’t really have a huge word of mouth sales ride, as the game feels like it sort of fell off the radar post-launch. Reviews were solid, but perhaps weren’t as high as many expected, ie Hazelight tier review scores. Hopefully it’s been a success for the studio either way. Love the art style, so I’d love to see where they go in the future.

@Zeeba already got that one too though! 😂

… but I already have them all except Tokyo Mirage Sessions and Miitopia…

Jeez, I’ve got a lot of Switch 1 games. Surprised Sushido isn’t on here as I really associate that one with early Switch. 😄

Games really did feel a whole lot cheaper 5-10 years ago. This list, for me, shows how much differently I felt about spending money back in the early Switch days. I was able to be debt free and save money too with basically the same expenses. Man, society really has just gotten plain more expensive since COVID, hasn’t it?

@jsty3105 @Runex2121 @Dalamar Exactly. People are acting like Gen AI is destroying the world when it’s reducing inefficiencies and it can actually enable people to be more creative more quickly if they are an artist. An artist will use their brush and create art, regardless of what brush they use. If you don’t think Gen AI can assist in creating strong art, you are demonstrating a bias out of fear. Remember that the nepo babies are really pushing the “keep AI out of my art” movement, as if their old wealth art is any better than enabling creatives with less resources the ability to synthesize studio tier production tools.

The problem isn’t the tech. The problem is that society hasn’t evolved to utilize the tech in a way that protects the population. We can demonize technology all we want, but the monster has a human face. We should be using Gen AI to create new income and jobs, not eliminate them.

I’m out of town this weekend, so I’ll be playing whatever my son needs help with on the Switch or whatever Mario Maker 2 level he’s cooked up. I did do a playthrough of Super Luigi Bros U this week.

Outside that, I suppose I’m playing waiting for Fire Emblem, which will very soon consume all my gaming time, as I’ve no doubt it’s massive. I doubt I’ll conquer that one by the time Control comes out. I have a feeling I’ll be saying I’m juggling those two games for a couple weeks soon enough… at least until I’m also juggling Castlevania, Ocarina, and GTA6 too! Let’s see if I can finish five more games this year…

@KritterXD @jsty3105 There’s so much nuance to the technology. It can’t be boiled down to “AI=bad.” That’s Salem Witch Trials logic. The world moves forward whether we like it or not. I liked the pen and paper world just fine, but our world is increasingly nuanced and, as such, nuanced technology comes into existence to match our lifestyles.

@DarkTron Not sure if you mean me or @JohnnyMind as the worst commenter on NLife, but Johnny’s one of the most optimistic guys on these forums. I get the distaste for Gen AI. Believe me, I’m not saying that Gen AI hasn’t caused problems, but things like the printing press, electricity, etc. all caused problems early on, but have since adapted to become parts of our lives, and they had their detractors as well early on. Realistically, we don’t know if Level 5 is making slop because these games are all incomplete.

@fullmetalwhesker I wasn’t using “everybody uses it” as a defense, just saying that it’s a commonplace tool in 2026. In fact, I stated that, as of right now, the data shows that tech companies that jumped the gun and laid people off are experiencing labor force restrictions for being foolish and not understanding the technology. Realistically Gen AI cuts out menial work for more complicated technology, so it doesn’t technically reduce labor force, nor does it impede on creative people if the business is actually utilizing the tools as they are currently designed. Artists are going to create art with whatever brush they have. Gen AI is a tool that requires very human taste and problem solving to work properly. Slop is slop whether it’s made by Gen AI or a human.

I can say that, outside my professional life, I’ve been using Gen AI tools to create music since the start of the year and it’s been mind blowing just how much more I can do with the toolset. It sort of feels like a dream come true at times. But I do the compositions, lyrics, etc myself and use the Gen AI more as a production aid to polish my rough demos into something that sounds vaguely like a studio recording. And honestly I’m getting far better feedback in sharing those songs than I used to get playing shows or recording things 15, 20 years ago when I was in bands and playing music.

I do feel there’s resistance to Gen AI more out of fear than understanding. It will be up to Level 5 to prove that it is using its tools to make quality products, but it just doesn’t make sense to outright dismiss games on the basis Gen AI was used.

I’m totally against slop with the stuff. Let me make that clear. I just think there’s far more to Gen AI than it being a black and white, good vs evil topic, especially with unfinished products

@JohnnyMind You’re absolutely right. We’ve got a bunch of people that are knocking Level 5 for using Gen AI when it is totally commonplace in 2026 for companies to use it. I use Gen AI every day in my job and it’s not because I’m in the tech field. Most jobs have implemented Gen AI practices and we’ve found, in the cumulative job data, that companies that cut positions due to Gen AI made a mistake preemptively by doing that and that most businesses have needed the same work force today as they did before the Gen AI push, even though it can increase efficiency. Any impact from Gen AI is nowhere near as simple as “Gen AI is bad,” and realistically anyone making that kind of argument should wait until we see what a completed project looks like from a talented team that utilizes it.

No one complained when Capcom commented that they were “looking into Gen AI” because they’re making solid games. When a company is “looking into” something, that means they’re already using it, but know how their customer base will react, so it’s just PR speak.

I’m not here to argue if results from Gen AI are better or worse, just to argue that we really need to be more understanding that all businesses are looking for ways to improve workflows, increase cash flow, and decrease production times, and Gen AI is the largest trend in doing that in 2026. It’s in everything and it’s everywhere. Complaining about how you won’t use a product because a company uses Gen AI is almost like complaining that you won’t use a company because they have Wi-fi. Technology doesn’t tend to stay complacent in the workforce. We can all say how great things were in the pen and paper days, but companies aren’t going back to that. We aren’t going back to the DS era of gaming. Things just continue to move forward with further developing technology and software and we have to judge games as a finished product, not as slop immediately because the company CEO is dumb enough to not know the public’s position on Gen AI because other dumb CEOs have made ridiculously poor management choices for also not understanding Gen AI when implementing it.

I’d love this if we got to pick which game we could buy at a discount, cough cough Fire Emblem cough cough

I’ve got the game preordered on PS5, but that’s only because I played the first two games on PS5. Might be my last PS5 game if we don’t see significant changes to the Sony strategy soon.

Just wish we had something new in the Mario world from this. I would’ve loved if Mario 35 came back at least! Something! Feels like Mario’s Missing should’ve been put on NSO as a joke.

I really liked it. I know it we’re all firmly in the “Mario is Missing” era, but outside that, there was a lot here for me and my family to be excited about. I’m looking forward to watching this one with my kids later.

Also, this one felt so distinctly Nintendo in style too. I feel like Nintendo’s sort of leaned into the JRPG niche a little heavily as of late, and while those were present here too (I’m not a hater of the genre, by any means, so don’t misinterpret what I’m saying), there was a lot of diversity on display. Unlike the Gamescom and State of Play presentations recently, it felt like Nintendo had things to show. This is as certainly not an email tier showcase. It wasn’t the best Direct ever, but I’m happy with it.

For all we know, maybe Mario’s being saved for the Game Awards or something?

Legitimately a birthday gift for me. I am so happy about this.

I know I might be being greedy, but I sort of hope for more gaming news outside of OoT: Remake. As great as I’m sure that will be, I’m curious where the series goes to follow TotK. OoT feels like a strong and obvious stop-gap, but where do we go next? It feels like the series sort of backed into a corner a little bit where another pivot is bound to happen.

To be honest, I’m not sure how they could top Smash Ultimate. I know more games will need to be made, but sometimes a game just perfects a genre so much that it’s hard to see where you could go with it in the future.

That said, these are all old leaks instead of Nintendogs. Most predictable bingo card would be these games.

I hate to be cliche, but hopefully we see Mario. Also, remember when Mario Wonder was announced in a Nintendo Direct and launched two months later?

I’m honestly sort of in a good place with games at the moment where I feel like I have just enough to play in the near future, so I’m hoping Nintendo gets us excited for next year.

Glad there’s a demo for it, so I can make up my mind on it. If the demo’s like Square’s other demos, I’ll know right away. They’re fantastic with their demos, really. Square’s had more hits than I think people give them credit for lately, even they aren’t all hits

I’m hoping for a Direct. I’ve got the money in my Nintendo account to get a few more games this year and I’m ready to know what they are. 😂

The wait for Fire Emblem feels long.

I’d like to try Big Walk but the multiplayer requirement makes it hard for me to do. That said, Future Knight had fantastic nostalgic art, so it’s got my vote

I can’t wait for this!

Also, Megaman 6, 7, 8, and 11 are all good games. 11 might now be the best in the series, but in this era, its a darn solid 2D platformer that keeps up with the indies that are gunning to take over for the Blue Bomber in his absence, even if its art style doesn’t quite hit the same highs as earlier games.

@teo_o This! Exactly this.

The blind hatred these days against AI is obnoxious, but truth be told AI is only a tool in an artist’s tool set. If you don’t have the artistry, AI can’t cover it up. At the same time, with an artistic vision, you can open some doors with AI though…

Im going to play God of War (2018) and some co-op in Halo probably.

Rhythm Heaven’s a current GoTY contender, in my opinion. I don’t know that I’ll hold that opinion in September, but in August it’s my favorite game that hasn’t been made by Capcom this year. Love to see it have success.

I have the app, but I just let NintendoLife update me about things instead. It’s easier to me! lol.

Sonic’s 35th Anniversary sure is the gift that keeps on giving, isn’t it?

Geralt in Fortnite too… toss a v buck to your Witcher?

Pokopia doesn’t need a sequel. Not all games need sequels. It’s a peak title for its genre and its surprise and novelty is half of what makes it such a winner too. Let Pokemon continue doing weird things and exploring new styles rather than turn Pokopia into another iterative series.

@LikelySatan The PC only visual novel whodunnit is pretty close to cinema now that I think about it too

Future Knight, Halo, and the Woodo demo, for sure.

@MontyCircus I started playing the game today and played through the fourth biome. There’s very few reviews out there right now to really give the game any sway. I think the game’s about a 7 or 8 out of 10. The art style’s great. The music is similarly goofy. The game’s got solid level design. I can see the Satoshi Kon influence, but it doesn’t have the weight of Kon’s artistry. It reminds me more stylistically of the type of sardonic humor of Wario or Dr Slump. It reminds me of another game in style too, one called Garlic, but it’s far less punishing than that game.

I’d say the game is fun, but, like Mouse PI, it’s also more entertaining for its style than it’s substance and your investment in the style will likely be what makes the game more a 6, 7, or 8, based on what I’ve played. For me, I played a lot of bad Tiger Electronics games in my childhood, so playing something with so much craft is a unique novelty for me in an era where few games have true novelty right now. If you like the style, I think it’s easy to recommend. Just expect it’ll probably be a game you play in bites rather than one you try to finish in one sitting (if you’re like me).

The summer’s been slow on strong games, so it’s sort of nice to see such a well crafted game. For me, it’s the best game on Switch since Rhythm Heaven. That’s just my two cents though. I’ve been lukewarm on a lot of games recently and I like this one so far. The bosses are really well done.

I enjoy the surrealism permeating in the indie space with games like this and Rubato this year.

@LikelySatan I mean, isn’t that what most Sonic games sort of look like? I’m not trying to diss the series, but excluding Mania and the vintage games, Sonic games sort of have that feel to them. They’re fun, but you’re not playing a Sonic game for cinema or literature. 😂

Sort of feels weird to see this and Pokopia celebrate the same milestone at the same time with such a difference in how long the games have been out. Frontiers is honestly the best Sonic ever had been, for me at least.

I haven’t been so excited to buy a new indie game since Mina the Hollower. Looking forward to this one. Hope we see more reviews pop up for this game to get it some publicity. Thank you @Nintendolife for getting the word out there about this one!

Sounds like they saved all the patches for Switch 2. Not gonna lie, I thought the remaster was just sorta ok since I felt like I still had the muscle memory for the original game, but seeing it on Switch 2 makes me want to dive in again. 😅

Super Metroid’s an easy vote even if I like Fusion and Dread more as games.

To be honest, outside Orbitals, 2026’s third party line-up doesn’t really speak to me at the moment (and the co-op nature of it means I’m on the fence because I’ll need to see if it’s something my wife or kids could play), but next year is looking solid. But, for people that are Nintendo only, this is a great amount of support. Enjoy Elden Ring if you’ve never done so.

I’ll be getting RE and Final Fantasy on PS5, but can’t wait for Megaman on the Switcy 2!