The Switch really came out swinging in 2017, with the best first year lineup of games for a Nintendo platform in recent memory, possibly ever. There were a surprising number of games to check out, but these were the best of the year.
5. Battle Chef Brigade – An anime cooking/puzzle/rpg mash-up? It sounds terrible, but after you get the different systems down, it becomes an addicting game. The characters and the story is deeper than expected as well.
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Ok, so this technically just a gussied up port of WiiU’s Mario Kart 8. But that was an already amazing game that was criminally overlooked. This up port comes with all of the DLC from the WiiU game. The auto-assist also makes it possible for young children to compete, not just watch.
3. Splatoon 2 – I overlooked the original Splatoon, but I’ve heard this is very similar. It doesn’t matter, this game plays and looks great on the Switch. They’ve taken the fun of competition and leveling up of multiplayer online shooters, but removed the violence and the frustration of being a beginner. Hardcore players have plenty they can grind for and techniques they can perfect as well.
2. the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Finally, an open-world game the fulfills the promise of open world games. If you can see it, you can go there, and there will be something to do there. There are no invisible walls and it’s not just a bunch of empty locked buildings either. Every place in Breath of the Wild is teeming with things you can interact with it. This may be one of the best games of all time and would be the number expect for…
1. Super Mario Odyssey – This is the game my family and I keep coming back to again and again. This another 3D Mario platformer, but the new capture mechanic expands the gameplay immensely. Each world is full of new puzzles and new techniques. Each world contains multiple challenges, from the very simple to the very, very hard. This allows players of different skill-sets to enjoy every world. Like all Mario games, it is ineffably fun, but this might be the most replayable Mario yet.
Honorable Mentions: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Picross S, Overcooked