Developer:
Nintendo
It's hard to imagine Nintendo released its most recent console, Switch, five years ago today. With it started the handheld hybrid revolution ushered in by one of the greatest games of all time The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and later in the year, Super Mario Odyssey. It's been a hell of a ride so far, and in the half-decade since its release, the Nintendo Switch has gone toe-to-toe with not one, but now two generations of powerhouse consoles from rival brands Xbox and PlayStation, and continues to sell well despite being undeniably a less graphically powerful device.
The Switch has been home to tons of great gaming experiences since becoming available on March 3, 2017. I'd like to know two things from you, dear readers: what is your favorite game on Switch of all time, and what is one game that you feel is an underrated gem that deserves to be played by more people? Give me your answers in the comments section below, and let's celebrate some great video games.
To lead off the discussion, here are my answers:
First, I don't think it's going to be an unpopular answer, but Breath of the Wild is by far my favorite game on Switch. And that's despite my dirty little secret with it; I've never rolled credits on it. I've spent hours roaming the open landscape of Hyrule, tackling shrine challenges, climbing mountains, seeking out korok seeds, or hunting down new gear and weapons. It's such a departure from the Zelda formula, and nails the exploration and wonder of the world so well, that I'm mystified by it whenever I pick it up. It's truly brilliant all around and, while it's entirely my fault I haven't finished it, I plan to do so before the sequel drops. Whenever that's supposed to be.
As for an underrated gem, I think more people should check out Monster Hunter Stories 2. Not only is it a monster collector (one of my favorite RPG sub-genres), but it offers a fun and very different combat system from the Pokémons, Dragon Quest Monsters, and TemTems of the world. I genuinely think people can pick up concepts from Stories and carry those ideas into the mainline Monster Hunter games, which is a huge benefit for folks interested in the series but are too intimidated by all of the stuff that goes into hunting.
Anyway, those are my picks. Let us know which Switch games are your favorite and underrated gems in the comments. For more anniversary action, check out last week's episode of Brian Shea's podcast All Things Nintendo where he talks with former editor Ben Reeves about the five years of the Switch's life so far.