OPINION : If there ’s one affair that the corporate gambling earth can not wait for in 2025 , it ’s the rumoured comer of the Nintendo Switch 2 .
As we ’ve all swosh up anySwitch 2leaks over the last 12 calendar month , peculiarly as some family held on to the idea that the cabinet might still launch in 2024 , it ’d be easy enough to assume that this yr has n’t been a great one for substitution owners as Nintendo gears up for a new console propagation .
But let me severalise you , if this is the collective swansong for the intercrossed console then it ’s been a keen one .
Sure , Nintendo did n’t switch out a Jagganath like it did last yr withThe Legend of Zelda : Tears of the Kingdom , but it had one of the most consistent days for the Switch yet with regular first - political party drops which , against the backdrop of PlayStation and Xbox players marvel when their next exclusive might appear , mean a keen deal .
In fact , you’re able to founder Nintendo ’s 2024 down into how it approached four fundamental sphere : mainstream claim , niche audiences , remasters and third political party games .
The heavy hitters
start at that surface level , Nintendo released four mainstream titles : The Legend of Zelda : Echoes of Wisdom , Princess Peach : Showtime ! , Super Mario Party Jamboree and Mario & Luigi Brothership . All four of these games , on average , make well with critics and speaking from experience I greatly enjoy my meter with them .
I ’d go so far as to say that echo of Wisdom is believably in my top three games of 2024 with a gameplay fashion that invigorate the serial and offers up hope for a new future in the same way that Breath of the Wild did back in 2017 .
have that I previously had very little dear for top - down Zelda plot , I can not emphasise enough just how much this game was capable to commute me to the cause .
Mario & Luigi Brothership , whilst unable to hit quite the same high as Echoes of Wisdom , still shows how Nintendo is the industry leader when it come to game aimed at a general audience .
Even though its gameplay can be challenging if you dive into all of its mechanics , it is still approachable to younger player , and it ’s complemented by the plot ’s humour and cutesy aesthetic . Except for Astro Bot on PS5 , I ca n’t really steer to any other non - Nintendo game this yr that go along this younger role player base in creative thinker .
The ‘too cool for school’ crowd
Although Nintendo was able to put out four mainstream titles in 2024 , it still find the metre to publish a fistful of game that can only really be discover as consume a very niche audience at full : Mario vs Donkey Kong , Nintendo World Championships : NES Editionand Another Code : Recollection .
Of those three titles , it ’s the latter that I would have never believe to put down on my Switch bingo list . For those who grew up spiel the Nintendo DS , you may recollect Another Code : Two Memories as being one of many narrative - driven head and get through game that beautify the organization during its near - decennium long streamlet .
While not a reliable continuation , Recollection does at least give a nod to the folk who enjoy the game back in 2005 with a full - on remake of both that title and its 2009 follow - up on Wii .
A biz like that is never going to sell a massive number of copy , but it does address to an understanding of just how many sub - groups there are within the Nintendo fandom . Even Nintendo World Championship : NES Edition , which sport several keystone Nintendo characters and became something of a personal fixation over the summer , is still a plot that ’s meant for speedrunners – not the casual gamer .
Games with a fresh coat of paint
Remasters , whether you like them or not , are part of a supplication to nostalgia that just is n’t go away . Things are a spot different when it comes to Nintendo game however as the ship’s company is still lagging behind where backwards compatibility and handiness of retro titles are concern , which is why any updated version of Graeco-Roman titles are value .
The Switch ’s biggest remaster of the year is undoubtedlyPaper Mario : The Thousand - Year Doorwhich felt like Nintendo reaching across the gangway and recognising a abstruse fandom that ’s been around for quite a while now . It could have remastered the original Paper Mario game , but anyone on the street know that it ’s Thousand - Year Door that ’s remember mostly lovingly by fans of the series , and it now play well than ever on Switch .
While there was n’t quite as much cry for a remaster ofLuigi ’s Mansion 2 , I did discover myself drawn into its HD update throughout my limited review , amount to realise yet again there really is n’t another serial out there that blends exploration , combat and scare quite in the same way as Luigi ’s Mansion . Another gem for the system .
Third-party titles didn’t miss
Rounding out the quartet is the firm amount of third - political party games that continue to adorn the Nintendo Switch seven years after its release . well the biggest surprise of Nintendo ’s Partner Showcase event in August was the announcement that the Yakuza serial would be coming to a Nintendo console for the first time , courtesy of Yakuza Kiwami .
For those not in the know , the Yakuza series has become an rank Jagannath for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sega over the last couplet of yr and that success has continued on Nintendo ’s political platform , with the drumhead of Ryu Ga Gotoku , Masayoshi Yokoyamadetailingthat the port is “ selling like hot - cakes ” .
Yakuza was just one of a fistful of key third - party rubric for the Switch however with game of the year contenders Balatro and Prince of Persia : The confused Crown constitute an appearance , not to mention the once PS5 - undivided Stray and the all novel Lego Horizon Adventures .
A year for the ages
With all of these games in brain , hopefully it gives you pause to consider just how overlooked this year was amidst the hype for theSwitch 2 .
I will freely admit that while none of these games offend into the mainstream conversation in a way that previous statute title like Animal Crossing and Pokemon did , it was still a solid output for a console that is nearing the destruction of its lifecycle .
It ’s also deserving mentioning that the Switch still has one enceinte exclusive up its sleeve in the human body of Metroid Prime 4 : Beyond , rig to eject in 2025 . When Nintendo finally does make up one’s mind to retire the Switch in favour of a successor , I recollect we can all agree that it ’s had one heck of a streak .
