Being the first member of The Famicast to pick up a Switch and Zelda, I felt it was my duty to play as much as possible. Man, what a game! I can’t remember the last time that any game put its hooks in me this deep. Over 100 hours later, I still feel like (and know!) that I’ve still barely scratched the surface here. Splatoon 2 hit at an odd time of year for me (super busy with work, etc) but I still managed to clock 30 hours or more with it - spending most of that time in Turf War! The gameplay is still great and the ability to play this game anywhere is fantastic. The same can be said about Rocket League on Switch. I loved the game on the Playstation 4, but was so grateful that I could finally play the game wherever I wanted. “Soccar” has never been so good!
Arms was surprising in a good way. I don’t think I’ll ever be a fan of the motion controls however the Pro/handheld control schemes are great and the art direction is awesome. The addition of new characters and modes throughout the past few months has helped keep things fresh, too! Of course, we can’t forget about our favorite plumber Mario. Odyssey is a return to form for 3D Mario and does a fantastic job at showing what kind of crazy things Nintendo can not only dream up, but also execute on.
Personal top five - James
I was much later at getting my Switch than Danny and Sairus, but didn't hesitate in getting stuck into Zelda during some long commutes I had over the summer. Fifty hours is already longer than it takes me to complete a regular Zelda game, and I don't even feel I'm 20% through the game. It really is a truly mesmerizing experience. Mario came much later of course, but really touched me in the nostalgia nerve in a way I wasn't expecting. Such amazing fun. Splatoon is my game of the forever and I am generally very happy with Splatoon 2, I just want to put more time into it! Steamworld Dig 2 is one of my commute games of the year (despite it not winning that award), I pretty much didn't put it down for 2 weeks straight. ARMS is another game on my "to do in 2018" list, because despite it being in my top five, I haven't put much time into it. I have no regrets in buying it though, it's basically like Splatoon in fighting game form, bright, colourful, and moreish.
Personal top five - Sairus
I don't think it's surprising to find that any Switch owner's top game is Zelda. The game is just absurdly good and an undeniable classic. I still haven't finished either of the DLC packs so I'm far from done with it. Ironcast though, now that's a game I would never have expected to appear on my top five. Excellent mechanics that are just deep enough to distract but not devour my attention, and a rogue-like campaign that's just different and difficult enough every playthrough to let you keep coming back is a wicked combination. Splatoon 2 oddly got most of its playtime this year from its single player campaign, which I really didn't like! I didn't have much time to play games at home, so Turf War and the other online modes got very little love. Maybe next year! I've actually played more Mario Kart 8 than this list implies thanks to multiple accounts in my household, so counting those this might actually beat Ironcast! Solid, evergreen gameplay means this will probably in my top played games every year until the Switch is retired. Sonic Mania is just flat-out good. I've barely gone through it once and it's a game that begs you to play it multiple times. It's very high on my list of games to revisit when my life is less crazy!
Personal top five - Ty
2017 was a bad year for video games. The Star Wars Battlefront boondoggle encapsulated it perfectly.
I was ready to buy a Switch for ARMS, but the game was ruined on arrival by some garbage progression system, just like Pokken, and to a lesser extent, Splatoon. Between those insane design decisions and Nintendo's inability to figure out how the internet works, I don't see myself getting a Switch anytime soon. Maybe when a bunch of Ace Attorney and Layton games come out and the Switch can start behaving like the portable system it is.
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