I bought a Nintendo Switch mostly on a whim in November of last year. I had saved money, I wanted to get something new (just being a good capitalist sheep I guess), and I had unsuccessfully tried to buy a Super Nintendo Classic for several weeks. So I bought a Switch without any games for it (?); it was a paperweight in my living room for a full month (!?). In December I bought two Switch games and didn't play either of them (???), and got a third as a gift right at the end of the year. It wasn't until 2018 when I started playing the thing, and it was a big part of my gaming January before Monster Hunter World came out. But the story of the Switch begins before November 2017, and indeed before March 2017. So let's start there:
The Wii U was one of Nintendo's least-successful major console endeavors. It sold about 14 or 15 million copies from 2012-2017, lower than any Nintendo console or handheld's overall sales other than the Virtual Boy. Those sales are about the same as the Playstation Vita, which is also widely considered a failure. The Switch eclipsed five years of Wii U sales in about nine months, which is completely bonkers. The Wii U had several good games for it, but in general the Wii U was a failed endeavor while the Switch is a massive early success.
My former roommate Kevin had a Wii U. Honestly, the games he played on it the most looked so good that I was tempted to get one for myself at times. Kevin and I don't have the same gaming tastes, though, so he never glanced at Japanese RPGs or character action games, two of my favorite genres. Nintendo, no stranger to next-generation ports of their more successful games, immediately began running out Switch ports of the biggest Wii U games even with the Switch only a year old. Mario Kart 8 got a Switch version mere months into the Switch's lifespan.
Last summer I made a declaration that I was glad to have skipped the Wii U (which was rude of me), and highlighted five Wii U games I wanted to see on the Switch. Here's that list:
Super Mario 3D World
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Those two cross-offs already have their Switch ports in the works. Bayonetta's came out last month while Donkey Kong's is coming out in May. There is no formal announcement, but a MonolithSoft executive expressed interest in a Xenoblade CX port to Switch in an interview last year. So that's my story and I'm sticking to it: the Wii U was a failed console with some good games; Nintendo is overjoyed that the Switch is so much more popular than the Wii U; and I'm excited to see the best of those Wii U games come to Switch.
But enough about the Wii U. Is the Switch even good? Does it justify all these sales and all this hype? I don't love passing early judgment one year into the console's life, but I must say yes. The Switch has an unusually strong game library for being just a year old, and it's fun to play in spite of (or maybe because of?) its chief gimmick.
The Switch can change (not going for the double word score here) between a handheld mode and a TV console mode with a few clicks of controller fasteners. That click sound was a key part of their early marketing campaign, which was a cool touch on their part. In my limited experience, the console-handheld transition works without any major problems. It only takes a minute to do it, and the games look great both on the big screen and on the small screen. I have heard that some games have performance issues in the handheld version, but I have not personally noticed any major differences.
The controls and interfaces feel good as well; the controllers have a sensible layout and the buttons feel tactile and not-cheap. The games look gorgeous on the big screen and way-to-good-to-be-on-a-handheld on the small screen. I tried not to fall victim to the hype. Really, I did. But the Switch is a great console and has a shockingly good selection of games for year 1. I play in handheld mode probably 90% of the time, but even if I just treat it like a new Game Boy it's definitely worth getting. So yeah I like the damn thing. Let's talk about its games for another 15 paragraphs.
I have five Switch games as of this post, but I've put long hours into only one. Blame my stupidity, my lack of decisiveness, and Monster Hunter World. Three of the five are ports, continuing the theme of industry and public enthusiasm for porting as many Wii U titles as possible to Nintendo's golden goose. So let's talk about the Switch games I own at the present.
I don't have a good reason for skipping on Bayonetta for the PS3, as I love several Kamiya games (especially Devil May Cry 3 and Okami) and I love over-the-top character action games. My sole reason for dodging Bayonetta 2 is that it was a Wii U exclusive, and you know my history with that thing. Anyhow, the Switch version of Bayonetta 2 comes with a free digital Switch copy of Bayonetta 1, both of those look really cool, and I will play both of those eventually. Maybe. Probably. Hopefully?
I like Rayman 2 (but never finished it) and adore Rayman Origins (which I finished on PS3 as part of an old Gaming Goals quest). I waited for Rayman Legends to drop in price for PS4 for a full year without seeing it happen, instead scratching my Rayman itch by watching the rhythm stages over and over on YouTube. When I saw the complete Switch version on sale around Christmas I gave in. Now I'll finally get to play another Rayman game and I couldn't be happier. It's some good platforming. Only two stages in, but I'll get to this guy soon.
One of my 2018 gaming goals, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the sequel to my favorite Wii game, and by all accounts a mostly-pretty-great Japanese RPG that suffers from a slow beginning and an excess of RPG systems. Whatever. I can take it. It looks gorgeous and I need more Xenoblade in my life; XBC2 was the first Switch game I bought, and I still haven't started it. This feels like it'll be a summer 2018 game for me.
By far the Switch game I've put the most time into, I'm about 30 hours into Breath of the Wild and the world is a joy to traverse. I got this as a gift in late 2017 from my friends at RPGFan. I'm mostly unlocking maps and conquering shrines (I've done little of the main story content), but yeah I'll play this one for awhile yet. It's a damn masterpiece and probably the signature Switch game.
If anything I've shown some restraint in buying three Switch games (plus receiving one as a gift and getting one as a bonus), because there are far more games I'm interested in. I'll go over four of them that are at or near the top of my list, in alphabetical order. All four of these games released in 2017, but I decided to wait for a sale or for more expendable income before buying. I'm ignoring Celeste and Azure Striker Gunvolt, among others. I probably could've made this list ten instead of four.
I adore Disgaea (especially 1, 2, and 4) but it's been something like 4 or 5 years since I was disappointed by Disgaea D2 for PS3. Having a complete edition on Switch seems like a match made in heaven for me, and really I'm just waiting for a good price before I get it. This will sap 100 hours of my time once I inevitably buy and play it.
I don't play a lot of Nintendo multiplayer (I'm not really a Kart guy or a Smash guy), but man Mario Kart 8 DX plays great. The handful of times I've played it I've been quite impressed, and I haven't owned a Mario Kart game since MKDS (which I enjoyed a great deal). I won't buy it at full price, but I definitely wouldn't mind owning the current big Mario Kart jam for Switch.
I'm a little surprised at myself for being interested in this one. Mario + Rabbids looked bad-silly and anti-funny in its early showings, but reviewed well. Word is the strategy gameplay's pretty good and the anarchic humor is hit and miss. I like both of those building blocks, so I'm at least curious. Another one of those "maybe if it's on sale" kind of games.
I usually prefer 2D Mario platformers to 3D ones, but this looks dope. 10 years after the last 3D Mario I played to completion (the first Mario Galaxy) they deliver what looks like the most astounding Mario game I've ever seen. By trailers, anecdotes, and reputation alone I'm very interested in Super Mario Odyssey. High-ish priority for me to pick up. Maybe later this year.
OK, I admit I've been forcing it with these poorly-placed Wizard of Oz quotes, but I'm going to stop at this point. So of course, even beyond the Switch games I have in my possession and the Switch games already out there, I'm feeling the Switch hype. Here are four upcoming Switch games in which I have a keen interest. I'm not including Ys VIII, Dragon Quest XI, or Mega Man XI in this space, because those are multi-system games that are also available on Sony consoles. Still not sure which versions of those three I'll eventually buy. Maybe multiples of all three?
I love the first four Donkey Kong Country games, and even beat all three Donkey Kong Land Game Boy games way back in the day. Tropical Freeze looks amazing, and is another one of those Wii U holdouts I mentioned several paragraphs ago. It's a beautiful, exciting iteration of one of my favorite series of platformers, and has one of my favorite game soundtracks of the 2010s. Buying this one day-one and almost certainly playing it in 2018. It's not on my list of 2018 gaming goals because it got announced in January.
I like me some Fire Emblem, but I've had very mixed Fire Emblem experiences in the 2000s. I love the entries for GBA (mostly), GameCube (definitely), and 3DS (partially), and even played translated ROMs of a few older ones (and those were great). Fire Emblem on the Switch is a match made in heaven, as strategy RPGs on handheld systems are a deservedly-beloved staple of the genre and console. I'm 100% interested in the confirmed-but-unannounced Fire Emblem Switch game, but only time will tell if I love it (like Awakening) or get cold on it (like Fates).
There has been a surprising boom of Kirby over the past few years, with at least one game a year since 2014. I like several Kirby games, and thought Kirby Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot (boith on 3DS) were both really fun (finished Deluxe, only a few stages into Robobot). So a new Kirby for Switch with co-op and team-building gameplay? Sounds pretty good! I admit though, I'm probably more excited for the other three games in this mini-list. Star Allies comes out later this month and I'm probably not gonna get it on day one.
From the makers of Bravely Default and Bravely Second (!), featuring turn-based combat with a customizable party of eight characters (!!!), with positively STUNNING character an environment art (heart emoji), Octopath Traveler looks like My Jam. The demo (featuring two out of the eight characters) was quite promising as well. "Project Octopath Traveler" is only a working title, but it's confirmed for worldwide release in 2018.
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There is so much positive buzz around the Switch, and it's exciting and encouraging. My limited Switch experience has been great, and I can't wait to play more stuff on the system. And hell, I made a short list of four anticipated Switch releases without going into Yoshi, Bayonetta 3, Dark Souls, or those three XI/VIII/XI ports I mentioned earlier. It's a good time to be a Switch owner, or even to be a console gamer in general. There are too many good games to play, and not enough time to play them. I say that all the time, and it gets more true each year.
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