8mo ago

Got a Switch today, need some recommendations.

This is my first Nintendo system since the NES. I've never been a big fan of their first-party properties when I've played on others' consoles, although I am interested in the Switch Zelda games.

We got Mario Kart 8 and Let's Go Pikachu for my son (the Switch is for his birthday). I might try Let's Go Pikachu but don't really care for Mario Kart. I'm keeping an eye on the Ori games too.

What I'm mainly interested in is Switch games that you can't play on the PS5 (which is my main platform). I don't really do mobile gaming so the Switch will pretty much be a home console for all intents and purposes, so I'm also not really affected by games that are "good for Switch mobility" like Hades (as an example--I already own that on PS5).

Thanks!

49 comments

i cannot recommend any nintendo product since they are the by far the most evil company in gaming industry. you would be pretty much happy with metascore nintendo switch list. i would return switch and buy steam deck oled with a little bit more budget and pirate all nintendo products using steam deck. heck, most switch games runs better on steam deck than it is on switch.
- This is a dude buying a gaming console for a kid, and he's already bought it. I would chill a bit lol.
- "most evil company in the gaming industry"
  EA backs away slowly
  Btw, we all love Valve and the Steam Deck but Valve ain't clean either.
  
  No company at all is completely clean outside of some non profits and even then, most of them aren't.
  There is an orders of magnitude difference in anti-consumerism and bad practices between Nintendo, Activision, and EA vs Valve.
- Wow, that's certainly a take. How are they worse than Sony or fucking Microsoft? Microsoft was under IRS investigation at one point. They dragged thing out resulting in multiple millions of taxpayer money being wasted, ruined the professional careers of the lead names on the investigation, bribed politicians to cut so much funding from the IRS that another investigation of that scale is simply not possible, and bribed other politicians to sway laws in their favor to help make what they were investigated for much harder to pursue charges on.
  Do you have any substantive shit that the other big names aren't guilty of as well? I'd love to hear it!
- Holy shit. This is a terrible game recommendation.
- hugs his Switch and the many physical Switch games he owns
  also hugs his Steam Deck
  The two aren’t mutually exclusive nor does one random opinion on the internet a fact make.
  OP asked for what specific games to get, not some anti-Nintendo rant.
  
  How regularly do you use both of those devices?
  I was eyeing the steam deck for its portability but I rarely would have reason to use it so I held off. Same for the switch.
  When I'm at home I play on my desktop. When I'm not at home I'm mostly actively moving about or only waiting small periods of time which are not worth it to start gaming. The only reason I would have to really use them would be during vacations.

Switch games not also on PS5
Pretty much first-party Nintendo games and a handful of independent games. I had the same desires as you, so all I really had and played and liked was:
Animal Crossing
Tears of the Kingdom (Breath of the Wild was good but TOTK is basically the same game but 1000x better and after playing it I have no desire to go back to BOTW)
Super Mario Odyssey
Clubhouse Games
And if I had known it existed while I still had the thing, I would have gotten Switch Sports.
- TOTK is basically the same game but 1000x better
  I hear ya, but I think that's why I'd like to try them both, in order. More game, without tarnishing the experience of the first.
  I've never particularly cared for Mario, but in retrospect it's always felt somehow alien when I've tried playing them, like they all have this particular identity, and I'm not in its clique. Maybe I should actually sit down with one on my own and give it a solid try (rather than just sampling at someone else's place).
  
  100% do both in order. Can't go backwards for both story and gameplay reasons.
  
  Def agree with doing botw first if you want to do both. Though I suspect you'll want a break in between the two. They're both extremely meaty games

As far as I understand:
both Zeldas
Super Mario Maker 2
Super Mario Odysee
Splatoon
- Aw man, I forgot about Splatoon, and I think that would have been great but apparently there's no splitscreen multiplayer. Good suggestion though!
  
  There's a good Kirby game on the switch that has coop story mode.
- I absolutely loved Splatoon 2, especially the DLC. It's such a shame that you have to pay for online battles though.
- I love Mario Maker, but I would suggest skipping 2 at this point. It's been out so long that most of the hype has died on it and there is so much garbage content that somebody picking it up right now is likely to get frustrating for new players.

I enjoyed Luigis Mansion 3. Never tried the previous games, but this one was fun. Has coop as well which you and your son may enjoy.
- Nice, this was totally off my radar but looks very promising, thanks!

Also, either homebrew your device or buy games second hand pls, Nintendo is pretty fucked up
- Um, maybe don't recomend homebrewing to a brand new Switcher? The process is very risky and it can brick if you do it wrong.
  But I do agree with buying second hand games. Nintendo is pretty messed up
  
  Yea, tbh my switch is still stock, at least mine is likely a v1 so yayy when it goes eol
  Second hand is more than good.
  Or maybe a mig switch, idk if they work with stock tho

Dead Cells! Playa great on Switch. Highly addictive.
- agree

The nature of the switch makes spontaneous co-op more accessible than other consoles. In that regard, I suggest:
Towerfall
Super Blood Hockey
Good Job!™️

If you're trying to play with your son, Smash Ultimate is good. It also has a good amount of single-player content.

No one's suggested it yet, so I'll say Fire Emblem: Three Houses - lots of gameplay hours, especially if you want to go through each of the four storylines, albeit can be a bit repetitive getting to that point.
- I remember hearing about that one, I'll definitely check it out, thanks.
  
  Yea, 3h is pretty good

Nobody mentioning the Xenoblade series? If you like long JRPGs with 100s of hours of gameplay look at Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and 3!!! Recommend starting with the second one, but it's not neccesary to play them back to back

You should also check out dekudeals if you like to get digital games. It tells you what is on sale as well as being able to organise by ratings from metascore. Hope this helps

I recommend going out and touching grass.
- OP made a normal post. This is uncalled for and rude. Please try to interact with others in a more friendly manner.
- Not a switch exclusive actually, you could do it too if you wanted.

Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu
FYI we got this game when we we got our Switch and it sat, untouched, for YEARS, until I finally picked it up a few months ago. Honestly, I REALLY enjoyed it! BUT... the first 30 minutes to an hour are very poorly done, and are soooo boring. After that it hooked me.
As someone who's favorite game in the series is the original Pokémon Red, I think this remake was quite well done. It looks great (much better than Sword / Shield in my opinion), and really trims out a lot of the fluff and grind of the classic games.
Also if he's playing, you can use the second controller to join him and casually help him catch and battle Pokémon. It's cute. :)
Let me know if you want any more in depth review or info.
- Thanks, he's obsessed with Pokemon and has been glued to the game so far. I'm interested in checking them out myself and will try popping in as second player!

My favorites:
Mario maker 2
Metroid dread
Mario Odyssey
Botw and totk
Metroid prime remaster
Advance wars 1+2
Mario 3d world + bowsers fury (really mainly just for bowsers fury, although 3d world is good too)
Cadence of Hyrule (crypt of the necrodancer x Zelda)
Pikmin 4
Mario wonder
Mario RPG
smash ultimate
probably some other wiiu ports I'm forgetting
- Get your carts used if you can

Definitely agree with a lot of the listed games but wanted to add some I haven’t seen yet:
Monster Hunter: Rise. The Monster Hunter series’ most recent main series instalment sees you playing as a Hunter of massive creatures, carving them up and using the parts to craft stronger and better equipment. Multiplayer only available with multiple switches, but is still a very rewarding solo game.
Cadence of Hyrule. A Zelda and Crypt of the NecroDancer mashup that sees you play as Link or Zelda in a musical world where everything moves at the speed of the beat of the music. Very novel and interesting game, but relatively short.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX. This is a true roguelike and a remake of the first game in the offshoot Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series made by the same creators of the Shiren the Wanderer series. Gameplay is turn-based and grid-based, with randomly generated dungeons for you to conquer, and you play as a human who’s been turned into Pokémon alongside many others you can befriend.

Mario vs Rabbits is a surprisingly fun turn based tactics game. It's something different gameplay wise from much of the switch library.
I saw someone mention Mario Odyssey. I hadn't owned a Mario game since Mario 64, but I thought it was incredible! It's just fun as all heck, and the surreal tone of the game kept me entertained. It has a bizarre mashup of "realistic" styles with the Mario universe. There isn't co-op exactly, but one person can play as the hat, helping out. Just, don't count it out because you aren't hyped about Mario. It's a quality game, and stands on its own merits.

Well, the switch Zelda games are good. Might not be what you're looking for but I enjoyed the xenoblade remaster

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