Favourite Switch experience (so far)

[Aneres11]

I have been thinking about the Switch a fair bit recently as I have amassed a bit of a backlog of games that I have had my eye on, but am yet to buy. 

So I am sorting a list of upcoming and already released games that I want to get stuck into first. 

It got me thinking about games I have played so far, and whilst I haven't been as satisfied with the Switch as I would have liked, I have had some great experiences with it. 

For me, I think I'd have to say Animal Crossing has been the highlight. Which is pretty surprising as I have never been a massive fan of the series - but this one really grabbed me. Perhaps it was due to COVID hitting and us all being locked down giving me a load of time to play the game, but I still love the work I put in on both of my islands and have massively fond memories of the whole experience. 

Breath of the Wild and also playing the Switch for the first time was also a great moment for me. Similarly, I've never been a huge Zelda fan but that game really drew me in. 

What about everyone else? 

Was it a particular game that stood out, or just the overall use of the system on the go or the ability to play in bed etc that you've enjoyed? 

 

[Jonnas]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been an excellent experience overall for me, and the portability aspect (allowing people to bring Switches into various places for meets) helped immensely.

The general ability to play a game in my bed before going to sleep has enhanced a lot of games as well, whether that be an atmospheric Metroidvania like Dandara (playing in a smaller screen in the dark made it more immersive), or a simple Picross puzzles.

Playing it handheld also helps a lot in quieter, smaller segments of large games, like exploring Garreg Mach in Three Houses: since no dramatic moment happens there, I don't make a point to play it on the TV. Ditto for smaller sidequests in Bravely Default II.

Finally, Snipperclips is the best dang family game I've ever owned. That's a game where simple controls, compatible with separated joy-cons, helps a lot.

[Cube]

Super Mario Odyssey. An amazing game that captured the feeling of SM64 and full of fresh ideas. I ended up collecting absolutely everything in it.

 

Second would be the Octo Expansion for Splatoon 2, an absolute joy.

 

[Dcubed]

In terms of individual games that are exclusive to Switch? Luigi’s Mansion 3 is an absolute triumph that is one of the best games Nintendo has published in quite some time (It absolutely deserves the 10/10 score I gave it in my review).  Though it doesn’t really make use of the Switch’s unique functionality (it was a Wii U game originally after all), the game is so damn good that it doesn’t really matter.

Dicey Dungeons is an amazing rogue like that is also (currently) Switch console exclusive; and I LOVE it!

Monster Hunter Rise may have been ridiculously overdue and really should’ve come out much earlier in the Switch’s life; but it ended up being worth the wait.  A fantastic entry in the series that undoes everything I disliked about Monster Hunter World and pushes the series forward in bold new ways, while giving me the classic local multiplayer handheld experience I craved.  It was exactly what I wanted from a Switch exclusive Monster Hunter game  And Monster Hunter Stories 2 (though largely more of the same), is the surprise sequel I never thought I’d ever get!

Pokémon Sword/Shield also, for all my misgivings about its flaws, is a marked step in the right direction for the series that is a huge improvement from the disappointing Gen 7 Sun/Moon.

And while I wouldn’t say that either game desperately needed a remake? The surprise remakes of Links Awakening and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX have also been very welcome.

Nintendo Labo also helped bring back some of that Crazy Nintendo magic that I miss so dearly as well; despite only having been able to build the VR Goggles due to a chronic lack of space where I live right now (maybe when I move and finally have more space I’ll get round to building the Robot Kit!).  Same thing with Ring Fit Adventure; Crazy Nintendo is best Nintendo!

And speaking of Crazy Nintendo… Wario Ward GIT is a superb entry in the series that has had me grinning from ear to ear.  I’m very pleased with how it turned out!  Actually, this year in general has been probably the best one yet! The grand return of Wario Ware? No More Heroes 3? Metroid Dread!! (HOLY SHIT! METROID 5 AT LONG LAST!!) and fucking Advance Wars!?!? I’m a very happy man right now!  
 

But even without just looking at the exclusives, just being able to play actual console games on a true handheld is in of itself a revelatory experience.  And the 3rd party support has just absolutely blown me away compared to how things started out; let alone compared to the last two console generations!

It still feels surreal to finally have Final Fantasy 7 on a Nintendo console (and on a cartridge no less!).  The Devil May Cry PS2 trilogy? Yup! And in portable form to boot! Doom 2016 & Doom Eternal? It’s here.  Hard to believe that we just came off of the Wii U!

[Sméagol]

Sarcastic clapping in Super Mario Bros 3.

[Glen-i]

1 hour ago, Sméagol said:

Sarcastic clapping in Super Mario Bros 3.

This guy gets it. That feature alone is going to elevate N64 multiplayer to new heights!

Apart from that simple life pleasure, it really can't be anything but Smash Ultimate. Consisting of 88 characters and 37 series spanning 9 companies! It's an absolute miracle of a game that, outside of a straight port on a future console, will probably never be replicated ever again. It's such an immense achievement, that even Microsoft wanted in! And there's still one more character to reveal in 2 days!

It's simply put, the greatest fighting game ever made.

A more personal aspect of the Switch that I've enjoyed is the smaller games with absolutely gorgeous visuals, not because of graphical prowess, but because of lovely art styles. I truly believe the best looking Switch games consist of the likes of Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX. (That one in particular impresses me because PMD hasn't looked any better then "OK", and now it looks like a bloody painting!)

These kind of "moving drawings" are on the rise these days, and sure, it's not exactly an exclusive Switch thing, but I only own a Switch, so there!

[Ronnie]

For me, it's hard to top putting the Switch in tabletop mode and playing an amazing console Zelda game on the train. I kept the grander experiences like divine beasts for tv mode, but just wandering around exploring was great handheld.

That first year was magical, three personal GOTYs in 9 months, BOTW, Odyssey and Mario + Rabbids.

[BowserBasher]

The first thing that really comes to mind is the whole aspect of the Switch being both a home console and handheld and that switching from one to the other is simultaneous. I mean I’m playing on the TV, I take it out the dock and I’m instantly playing again. No delay or anything. This also makes it great when there’s a power cut as it just switches to handheld mode and no loss to the game I’m playing. 
 

As for games, Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey are up there for me. I was never into open world games and liked my games to have some kind of linear progression. But BotW really did change that. You can do the game in any kind of order and however you want, and even now, people are finding new things, new ways to kill enemies, and funny exploits. It’s amazing how many different ways I’ve seen people complete a shrine or certain parts of the game. 
Mario Odyssey was just the perfect Mario game for me at least. Visually stunning, controls were tight and perfect, and cappy was a nice new addition. Plus you get to go to the moon. (Yes Galaxy was in space too) I guess that’s why I love it so much, as Galaxy was my favourite Mario game before this. Oh amd you get to turn into a freaking T-Rex. 
 

I’ve also found that I’ve bought more indie games on the Switch than on any other console. Favourites include Oxenfree, Limbo, A Short Flight to name a few. 

[Dcubed]

I think that the Switch's greatest strength isn't actually it's portability per-say... but rather it's just the sheer versatility it provides.  It's a modern HD console that is also a handheld, that can also be a tabletop monitor, that can also be a VR headset, that can even be a vertically orientated handheld for Tate mode shumps! (Seriously, guys, the FlipGrip is amazing!).

It's compatible with its own controllers, official NES/SNES/N64/Mega Drive controllers, Gamecube controllers, arcade sticks and basically every other controller in existence when you start getting into the 8bit-do adapters.  The console can even be used on its own as a makeshift tablet with certain games that are touchscreen only!

Multiple Switches can be hooked up together as a multi-monitor setup and its Joy-con controllers can be jury-rigged to work with an insane variety of accessories ranging from a Pilates ring to a literal giant robot!

It can play almost every type of game imaginable with only a few exceptions (basically just the games on Wii that rely on the IR pointer).

And this aspect of Switch is every bit as magic now as it was back in 2017.

[Agent Gibbs]

For me my favourite switch experiences still come back to some of the earlier games, Mario Odessey, Mario Kart and most importantly Breath of the Wild. Those three games were fantastic, but really showed off the system and its versatility, docking, undocking and feeling like the game was both a console and handheld game at once, a perfect Hybrid. Breath of the Wild probably the most of them has the fondest memories, as it captured the feelings i had when i played The Legend of Zelda A link to the Past (the first one i played), which coupled with me taking the game away on a trip with me and actually playing it on a hill during a break in our walk...it just was everything.

Annoyingly since then not much has captured the same feeling for me, I've ended up with an indie RPG box of a switch which mainly stays as a handheld and i don't find I enjoy it nearly as much as a handheld. I think this is because a lot of ports of games are just very bare bones and end up being slightly worse version of PS5/Xbox/PC version of the same game and they just get marketed as the benefit being portability. Whilst thats great, sometimes they don't adjust for the portability and some games just have graphical downgrades to accommodate and then when you put them in the dock the game is poorer for it. The examples for me being Fairy Tail, Diablo 3, Burnout Paradise. Not to say they aren't good but they are lacking and portability doesn't always make up for it.

But I digress, the vast majority of the games have been fantastic certainly the first party ones, but they always would be, i would hope that with the much rumoured upgraded switch 3rd Parties might catch up a little

[Jonnas]

Oh, one thing I remembered (and I'm surprised @Dcubed forgot to mention as well), was the first-ever official release of the original Famicom Fire Emblem. That was a neat surprise that came out of nowhere, and a lovely experience.

[bob]

For me, it's hard to top putting the Switch in tabletop mode and playing an amazing console Zelda game on the train. I kept the grander experiences like divine beasts for tv mode, but just wandering around exploring was great handheld.
That first year was magical, three personal GOTYs in 9 months, BOTW, Odyssey and Mario + Rabbids.

You can't have 3 GOTY mate.

[Dcubed]

14 minutes ago, Jonnas said:

Oh, one thing I remembered (and I'm surprised @Dcubed forgot to mention as well), was the first-ever official release of the original Famicom Fire Emblem. That was a neat surprise that came out of nowhere, and a lovely experience.

Not to mention the first ever official English release of the Famicom Detective Club titles! Oh and Trials of Mana.  Oh! and Kid Dracula NES, can't forget that one.  Oh! and the Kunio Kun collection! Oh! And the NamcoT collection too...

Man.  Switch has been pretty damn great for localisations of previously JPN only games!  

[Ronnie]

47 minutes ago, bob said:

2 hours ago, Ronnie said:

For me, it's hard to top putting the Switch in tabletop mode and playing an amazing console Zelda game on the train. I kept the grander experiences like divine beasts for tv mode, but just wandering around exploring was great handheld.
That first year was magical, three personal GOTYs in 9 months, BOTW, Odyssey and Mario + Rabbids.

You can't have 3 GOTY mate.

Yes I can, the G is plural.

[RedShell]

56 minutes ago, Agent Gibbs said:

Annoyingly since then not much has captured the same feeling for me

Yeah, most of my favourite Switch experiences were early on too.
In particular, Zelda BotW and Mario Odyssey, which was just the most phenomenal combo for launch year! I don't expect to see two games with that level of quality released in such quick succession from Nintendo ever again.

There have obviously been many other enjoyable moments since, but for me there's also no doubt that the appeal of Switch has been steadily dwindling over time. Nintendo's output became way more reliant on ports and remasters than I was expecting, and since getting a gaming PC last year, there has been no desire or need for me to purchase third-party games on Switch. I made an exception for Monster Hunter Rise, purely because of the timed exclusivity and to play online with the N-E hunting crew.

But yeah, when there's not much that I'm interested in from Nintendo themselves, and third-party games are better experienced elsewhere, the Switch suddenly loses a lot of its appeal.

Sorry for being a bit of a downer, not the purpose of this thread I know. So I'll end with another positive Switch experience in the form of Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
That game actually remains my most played on the system by far, and has provided so many laughs, both in single and multiplayer battles. The inclusion of stage builder was also a very big factor for me having played the game so much, and that's even with it being so simplistic and limited. Had it provided better tools/customisation I imagine my Switch might have disintegrated from overuse!

Anyway, it's been nice to read about other people's fave Switch experiences, keep 'em coming.

[Dufniall]

To me the Switch has been a great console so far. As I play mostly handheld (has been the case since the Game Boy), having one machine for both handheld and TV play is a godsend. I'm excited to get my hands on the OLED for the better screen as I think I will get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

Plenty of highlights to talk about. Breath of the Wild obviously is one of the greatest games ever made and it is such a joy to play. But Splatoon 2 is one of my favourites. I just love the whole setting, vibe, and mechanics of the game. Another highlight has to be Astral Chain, such an impressive game.

The Switch has been the machine to make me love Platinum. Never owned a WiiU, so I finally got to play Bayonetta 1 and 2, plus The Wonderful 101. Next to that there are a lot of great games available, from lovely indies such as Hollow Knight and Axiom Verge 1 and 2, to fun third parties such as Immortals Fenyx Rising and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 Remastered. There really is something for everyone and looking back I've already played so many great games on it. It's also a lovely pinball machine.

But my most favourite thing about the Switch is that it has brought back community gaming. I joined the Mario Kart League again which was amazing and fun every Thursday. Dropping in random Smash Bros. nights is always good, and recently Monster Hunter Rise has been an amazing multiplayer experience. Playing random games online with N-E and Discord people like Rocket League, or the Beat 'em up Collection. Having parties and trading sessions or just random visits in Animal Crossing. And finally the Mario Maker 2 building challenges here on N-E. It's a shame a lot of that community play has dwindled a bit now, but they have been great and I would love for it to be more active again.

Edited October 5, 2021 by Vileplume2000

[Julius]

My favourite Switch experience so far has to be Breath of the Wild. I didn't pick up a Switch until a couple years after launch, but those first two weeks of having the Switch when I was finding any excuse I could to swap between portable and TV mode as I trekked across Hyrule were pure bliss. I think it really knocks every other open world game out of the water, and when talking strictly about a sense of freedom and exploration, I seriously think it's a disservice to Breath of the Wild to bundle it in with other open world games releasing these days. There were moments in the game that simply overwhelmed me with awe and childlike wonder, which I will always cherish. 

And the funny thing about it is, as I've mentioned before, I have quite a few grievances with the game. The weapon durability system and inventory management aren't great; the music isn't as epic or as noticeable as I know it is from my encounters with other Zelda games; the lack of direction is as much a detriment as it is a freedom (no more evident than when I dropped the game for over six months after cruising through the first 40 hours).

It was this game for me which underlined how much I'm not at all envious of reviewers, because as someone who typically judges entertainment based on how well it executes whatever it is that it's aiming for, I would score Breath of the Wild as an 8/10. There are plenty of hiccups and missteps which I really hope are rectified in the sequel. And yet as an experience, it's a 10/10; simply put, there's nothing else like it. It was also the first Zelda game I completed after I had tried to get through a number of other games in the series (sorry Ocarina of Time, I know I still need to get back to you!), and while it didn't hook me into going back to previous games, it was immediately obvious playing this why so many people hold the franchise so close to their hearts. 

Like others here, unfortunately the Switch just hasn't captured my imagination in the same way since my first few weeks with it: it sits almost exclusively in its dock, and rarely sees much play by me solo, though there have been other fun experiences I've had with it. Examples of these are Xenoblade Chronicles and Super Mario 64 last year (I've been dragging my heels on Sunshine a bit as I know I want to pick up a GameCube controller and adapter for it), and it's always a great thing to break out or take with me whenever I get to see my younger brother, be it the chaos of Overcooked when our sister joins us, the BM I get from him whenever we play Smash Bros. Ultimate, or going wheel to wheel in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Mount Wario might be my favourite track in any kart racer -- well, probably alongside Shibuya Downtown from SEGA All-Star Racing!). 

Like you though Aneres, I've got a growing pile of games to get to (a few of them for the Switch, but plenty on other consoles too), to the point where about a month ago I cancelled a bunch of pre-orders and only have one or two left for the year, so I'm hoping that by doing that I'll be able to get to some of those Switch games I've been meaning to. 

I think the thing for me is that I only grew up with one Nintendo home console under my roof: the Wii. I have a much stronger association with Nintendo when it comes to handhelds, which I'm sure is true for others here too, but knowing I don't have as much spare time now compared to when we got our Wii, having great times with family and friends on that console, and also having the means to pick up other consoles too these days, I think the Switch for me - to some extent - was always facing an uphill battle. 

But Nintendo is on the right track (for the most part) looking ahead at their upcoming slate, and I'm looking forward to diving deeper into the Switch catalogue, so who knows, maybe that could still change 

Edited October 5, 2021 by Julius