[ad_1]
Sony and Microsoft are kicking off the next generation of video game consoles in November with the launch of the Playstation 5 Y Xbox Series X. Both will cost a bundle and could be nearly impossible to obtain this holiday season. Fortunately, Nintendo already has a horse in the race with the Change. Unlike any PlayStation or Xbox, the Switch can be played on your TV screen or on the go. (There is also the Nintendo Switch Lite, which costs $ 100 less, plays almost all of the same games, but cannot be connected to a TV).
To be clear, the Switch made its debut in 2017, so it doesn’t keep up with the graphical prowess of next-gen consoles. But the flexibility of the Switch to move locations, even if it’s just from room to room, and the fact that it’s the only place where you can play the latest and greatest Nintendo exclusive franchises like Zelda, Mario, Pokemon, and Animal Crossing gives you an advantage. The shiny new consoles of 2020 will have a hard time countering. In fact, unlike Nintendo’s previous Wii and Wii U consoles, the Switch has built a huge library of games, including many third-party titles and some games that can already be considered classics in good faith.
Let’s go over some of our favorites, which we’ll update regularly. Note that the red buttons are links to third-party retailers, most of which are the cartridge version of the game in question, although some (where noted) are digital codes for download. Direct links to Nintendo eShop downloads are also included if you prefer to buy directly from Nintendo.
Read more on GameSpot: Nintendo Switch games and news
Nintendo
A package containing Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy could hardly be bad, right?
Well it’s not perfect, the games have aged and there are some control issues, but it’s hard to argue with the value of Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Especially for those who have fond memories of Mario throughout the years.
However, they should have added Super Mario Galaxy 2. Come on Nintendo! See Gamespot’s Super Mario 3D All-Stars review.
hell
Game prizes
Hades, an isometric rogue from Supergiant Games, came out of nowhere in 2020 and is now a very strong contender for Game of the Year.
Why? Part of this is the combat, which is fluid, heavy, and tactile, but his evolving story, linking the idea of constant death to Hades’s narrative, really pushes him to the limit. This is a rogue type that people who don’t like rogues can enjoy. See Hades review of Gamepot.
Devolver Games
Carrion is “are we the bad guys?” the videogame.
But Carrion calls himself a “reverse horror game.” You play as a tentacled monster, crawling through a facility, killing all humans in your path. A unique and innovative game that is worth your time, money and energy. Give it a hit See Carrion’s review of Gamespot.
Nintendo
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Super Mario Maker 2 no quite feel made for the Nintendo Switch the way it was Perfect for Wii U, but it’s still great software. It makes level design accessible to everyone and has a heavily reinforced single player mode.
Not to mention the endless replay value that comes with the crazy user-created levels. Check Super Mario Maker 2 for sure. See GameSpot’s Super Mario Maker 2 review.
Cherry team
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Hollow Knight might be one of the best games available on the Nintendo Switch. It’s an eerily well-designed platformer in the vein of Super Metroid. But it is more than that. The atmosphere, the audio design, the images …
Dear sir, this game is a stone cold classic. Play now. Check out GameSpot’s Hollow Knight review.
Matt makes games
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Celeste is a video game that makes you want to put your controller on your television, in a good way.
With incredible level design and perfectly tuned precision platforming, Celeste is one of the best games of its kind ever released. She’s smart, charming, and full of content.
It is also perfect for Switch. You will throw obscenities at this game on public transport and you will love every second. See Celeste’s review of GameSpot.
Nintendo
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Splatoon 2 is very similar to the first Splatoon. It’s hardly a sequel in the traditional sense but, like Mario Kart 8, that doesn’t make it any less essential.
Splatoon’s high concept is pure genius and extremely Nintendo. It takes the first-person shooter game, traditionally a violent genre, and turns it on its head. You’re shooting paint, not bullets. You don’t get points for shooting enemies, you get points shooting the environment itself.
Splatoon Rules. See GameSpot’s Splatoon 2 review.
Nintendo
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Are you ready for some video game buzzwords?
Cadence of Hyrule is a standalone roguelike rhythm game based on Legend of Zelda. In regular speech: a game that crosses Zelda with Dance Dance Revolution.
Which sounds like a completely strange proposition, but Cadence of Hyrule works! It really works. And you should play crazy. Check out GameSpot’s Cadence of Hyrule review.
Bethesda
View digital version on Nintendo Switch
Rules of doom. This is known.
Playing Doom on Nintendo Switch rules, too. Sure, it’s a bit compromised compared to the versions you could play on the PS4, Xbox One, or a PC with decent specs …
But yeah, good luck loading one of those onto the train. See GameSpot’s Doom review.
Nintendo
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Stardew Valley is the perfect example of why the Nintendo Switch is a revolutionary device.
Here’s a game that’s perfectly good on all platforms it’s currently available on (PC, Xbox One, Vita, PS4) but on Switch it’s just high.
Due to the nature of the Switch (and how it allows you to play passively while watching TV or on public transportation), it’s perfect for a game like Stardew Valley, which is the digital equivalent of knitting a scarf.
Actually, all games are better on Switch. All of them. See GameSpot’s Stardew Valley review.
Motion Twin
See digital version in the Nintendo store
The traditional words used to describe Dead Cells are “roguelike” and “metroidvania”. Both genres common, but Dead Cells is a game with a unique concept: you will play, you will die. But in Dead Cells you can keep your updates and then restart with those updates, which means that you slowly progress through the game more easily as you play. Very cool. See GameSpot’s Dead Cells review.
Gorogoa
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Gorogoa doesn’t look like any video game you’ve ever played.
It’s a puzzle game … I guess. But it’s actually a game about exploring a strange universe in a way that can’t be predicted.
A couple of caveats: Gorogoa is pretty short and I think it might work better on an iPad, but it’s a unique, compelling, and seamless experience on any platform.
Find a way to play this video game. See Gorogoa’s review of GameSpot.
Of software
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Who wouldn’t want to play one of the best video games ever made on public transportation?
Dark Souls isn’t perfect on Nintendo Switch, and at this point, you could make a strong case that the best version is the remastered version on PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. That said, you can’t play either one. those in the bathroom.
Check and mate. See GameSpot’s Dark Souls Remastered review.
Nintendo
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Arms is a motion-controlled game that is like boxing. Except you have big stretchy robotic arms and they all have special powers. Obviously.
Which means that Arms is a version of boxing very similar to Nintendo’s.
He is also extremely inventive and surprisingly deep. Weapons has layers and a genuine strategic element. It’s not perfect, but Arms is weird, inventive, and a lot of fun. See GameSpot’s Arms reviews.
Nintendo
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Tetris 99 sounds like it came from the pages of The Onion. Battle royale has become so mainstream as a genre that even Tetris is battle royale now.
But here’s the craze: Tetris 99 works. This game works. It’s a lot of fun and you should play it.
Please note that this game is free for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. See GameSpot’s Tetris 99 review.
Sega
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Sonic Mania is just …
[chef kissy fingers]I mean to imagine being an adult, growing up with Sonic. They announce a new game and you hope it’s bad because Sonic has been bad for about 20 years.
They then release Sonic Mania. A game that takes everything good about Sonic, preserves it, and then perfectly updates it in a perfect modern interpretation that has no right to be that good. See GameSpot’s Sonic Mania review.
No oxen
Night school study
See digital version in the Nintendo store
You know when you’re playing a video game and you say, “Man, this story is really interesting and well written …
“For a video game”.
With Oxenfree you really don’t need to make that distinction.
Oxenfree is a hair-raising mystery wrapped in teen drama. It’s like Riverdale for video games. It also has a really slick and perfectly implemented dialogue system that rewards multiple games. See GameSpot’s Oxenfree review.
Nintendo
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Golf Story takes the 16-bit JRPGs you loved back in the SNES days and adds uh … golf.
Yes. The sport of golf.
And somehow everything works. Golf Story is the world’s craziest elevator launch perfectly executed. The golf works, the role play works, the story is fun. Great little video game. See GameSpot’s Golf Story review.
Drool
See digital version in the Nintendo store
The creators of Thumper call it “rhythmic violence.” Dammit.
It makes sense. Calling Thumper a “rhythm” game just isn’t enough. It is more than that. It’s a pure and visceral experience that connects music with action in the most compelling way. It is brutal. It’s shocking and absolutely cool. See Thumper’s review of GameSpot.
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Like Mario Kart 8, Stardew Valley, and Oxenfree, Bayonetta 2 is an old video game repurposed for the Nintendo Switch.
Bayonetta 2 originally came out for Wii U, a console that had problems. Thus, Bayonetta 2 struggled.
Fortunately, it is running a second time on Switch. Which is great, because Bayonetta 2 is an underrated masterpiece. Let’s do it. See GameSpot’s Bayonetta 2 review.
Hempuli
See digital version in the Nintendo store
Baba Is You is a puzzle game that will break every part of your brain. It is a puzzle game that forces you to literally rewrite the rules of the game to complete tasks.
If that sounds complicated it is because is Complicated. In a good way.
It’s also the kind of game that will haunt you, kind of like The Witness. You will be thinking in riddles while doing the dishes, while driving the car. You will scream EUREKA. Then maybe you break a plate or crash your car.
This game is dangerous for your health. See GameSpot’s Baba Is You review.
