I have been disappointed by the Nintendo Switch in 2018, which is turning out to be more handheld than console

Nintendo Switch in 2017 was one of my favorite console years ever. Breath of the Wild is possibly my favorite game of all time, and Mario Odyssey was a tremendous achievement, the crowning jewel in gaming's most storied franchise. I had a great time with Fast RMX, played a host of great Neo Geo ports, and loved the hell out of both Kingdom Battle and Mario Kart 8. There were some misses in there (I didn't like Arms, and Splatoon 2 didn't capture me), but overall I loved my Switch in 2017 and hoped the system would only get better in 2018.

It didn't.

Nintendo's output in 2018 has fallen into basically two camps: Wii U ports and disappointments. There's nothing wrong with bringing the likes of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze to the Switch, of course, since those were good games that were stuck on a system nobody bought. But it's hard to get excited about 4 year old games, even if they are Bayonetta 2 and Hyrule Warriors. Nintendo didn't sell me a Wii U in 2014 with that lineup (2014 was clearly the best year for the Wii U) and reheating it for 2018 doesn't make me any more excited.

Meanwhile Nintendo's fresh offerings have been anemic. Kirby: Star Allies was a mediocre game by any standards, not just Nintendo's. Mario Tennis: Aces is fine but hardly an exciting title, and it's worth noting that Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash was a bare bones title that showed that Nintendo was already moving on from Wii U in 2015. Super Mario Party is apparently just okay, though it has no appeal for me.

Of course Super Smash Bros. Ultimate looms over everything as possible redemption, but it's just one game and while I'll play it, it's not something I'm personally excited for, even though I know millions will be. One great game does not a great year make, though, and the Wii U had Smash too.

There are, of course, a lot of ports on the Switch, and people will say that's what makes it worth buying. It is able to run console quality games in a handheld format, which is a wonderful selling point. It has Dark Souls and Wolfenstein II, and Doom. And it has replaced the PS VIta as the best place to play indies, which run flawlessly and can be played on TV or handheld mode without missing a beat. But while those are admirable traits for a handheld they're not what you need in a console, which is what Nintendo sold this thing as. They said it was a console that you could play handheld but it's really a handheld that plugs into a TV.

Meanwhile I wonder what Nintendo's development teams are actually up to. Maybe they're about to unleash a torrent of great software in 2019 and 2020 that will take the Switch to heights that Nintendo hasn't enjoyed since the SNES. It doesn't feel like it though. The only major releases I'm aware of coming internally are Metroid Prime 4 and a new Pokemon, and those are not even internal Nintendo projects. Yoshi's Crafted World looks cool, but after Kirby I'm not dying for another 2-D platformer. Maybe they're all working on Smash, which looks like it's going to be a truly massive game. Either way, you'd think consolidating development onto one platform would mean a larger number of games for that platform and we're just not seeing it. Instead we're getting the Wii U trickle without the smaller 3DS style titles. It's the same old Nintendo song of a few big releases a year supported by some other stuff. The big new release for January 2019 is a full price port of New Super Mario Bros. Wii U. Not even a new game in that series. Not even Super Mario 3-D World.

Meanwhile with no Virtual console and a $20 online service that provides access to a few NES games, most of which are either games that have been released a thousand times before or aren't fun to play in 2018, Nintendo isn't even leveraging its past to prop up an anemic present. There are already rumors of a new, more powerful, Switch hitting in 2019, but I don't want to buy a new system, I want games for the system I already bought.

Despite a mediocre year I still like the Switch as a platform. It's cool to have a high-powered handheld, and the system has a lot of versatility in the ways it can be played. Not every year can be a high watermark like 2017, and every system has down years, but the Switch is about to enter its prime and I hope Nintendo has more up its sleeve than it currently appears to me. The Switch still has a lot of potential, let's see if it can regain its momentum.

I agree. The 2018 lineup of small games and up-ports does indeed make it seem like a handheld. A lot of developers are riding on the "people will pay for this again to play it on the go" angle. And while that's not a terrible angle it adds very little if you are someone who looks to play Switch at home.

If you have an urban commute and you can use this thing on trains or buses then 2018 was another good year. But if you're using your Switch as a home (TV) console it's been a very small year.

Fire Emblem is in development for Switch. Outside of Nintendo, Shin Megami Tensei 5 is coming out at some point.

But yes, the Switch really does need another good flagship title. Smash Bros. isn't that for me. I did really enjoy Octopath Traveler, though, so there's that.

Like you said, Mario and Zelda knocked it out of the park last year. Nintendo's earned the right to a slow year. I don't know how you expected 2018 to be even better. Meanwhile the Switch has become the new Vita, the best place to play a rapidly growing library of indy games on the go.

I don't play online games, but I bought the online for the promise of more old games to come on the subscription service. I'm sure we'll see SNES on it soon. I played through every single level of Mario 1 and 3 (no warps) for the first time and I've already got my money's worth.

But I agree, nothing's better then a new innovative surprise form Nintendo when they are on their A game. Smash Bros isn't going to be my savior, the last couple didn't do much for me, I don't think I'll be picking up this next one. Maybe Animal Crossing. I'd personally love to see a 2D Zelda next.

If I was a betting man I'd put money on 2019 being huge for the Switch. There are also that many games I still need to play on Switch that it doesn't really affect me.

I've just finished Mario and that's already leaving me cold. It's a Ubisoft checklist. You remember levels and stars from the older games but from this, you remember moments. Tempted to grab the subscription service to give my Switch more games to play. Other than that, I need Bayonetta 2, 3, Zelda, Metroid Prime 4 and then that's my lot.

Odd that you didn't mention the best game to come out on the Switch in 2017 (Hollow Knight) or in 2018 (Into the Breach).

The problem with those indie titles is I could play those anywhere else. It just depends on the right timing of a sale.

I played the absolute shit out of my Switch in 2017, both handheld and docked. 2018? Last time I even glanced at it was January.

I agree, every Nintendo console has it's off years though, the only thing that makes it harder to endure is Nintendo acting as if half the games they were selling never came out on the Wii U. (and asking full price for them)

I'm really looking forward to Bayonetta 3 & Metroid Prime 4 though. (whenever the hell they're due to come out)

You just made me realise I haven't bought a single Switch game in 2018... I think the last time I touched the console was around April, playing Splatoon.

Wholeheartedly agree, this year has been abysmal when it comes to games. I know a lot of people really like some of the many ports from other platforms and that's fine and great for those people. But a lot of those titles i already have and i see no point in buying them a second time just to play them on a handheld.

I have played through one game this year so far, and it looks like it will be the only one as there is nothing else in sight.

Although 2018 has been a glacial year for large first-party releases, I think it's been an amazing year for showcasing why the Switch is so special. While it isn't powerful enough to run RDR2 or Call of Duty, it's been a great way to experience all the incredible indie games that have come out this year, or that are being ported this year. Before I had a Switch, the most "indie" game I played was probably... Dark Souls, which isn't really an indie game at all; nowadays, as a person with a limited budget, I love having great, cheaper games like Into the Breach, Wandersong, or Celeste with me at all times. The indie support on Switch has actually justified the Switch as a hybrid mobile-console device, whereas the big Mario and Zelda games, while great, didn't necessarily need the Switch to be portable.

@nevergameover: Hollow Knight came out on Steam in 2017, but released on Switch in 2018. Into the Breach is without a doubt one of the best games of the year though.

If Switch was the only console I had, then it would be a bigger issue for me. I mean, it is still a bummer that there hasn't been a single first-party release this year that would've interested me and instead I've mainly turned on the console every now and then to download a system upgrade patch. It doesn't look too promising for the remaining two and a half months either (with the exception of Katamari Damacy Reroll, largerly depending on it's price), but when there's at least five bigger releases happening on other systems before the end of the year, that doesn't really matter.

I would love to play something next year, of course. How about that Metroid Prime trilogy, Nintendo?

This is an issue I'm having with Switch as well. I don't have a lot of place to use this as a portable handheld so I was looking for some first party bangers. And Smash or Mario Party just don't fall into that category for me.

What I can't figure out at all is why there isn't a bloody Mario 2D platformer on the device yet! They only have a port of Mario U scheduled in 2019. Mario 3 (the best one!) is only available if you subscribe to their service. They clearly have it running on the device why not sell it?

I don't need the indie bangers of 2016-2017 on my Switch. The PC already has those games. Is it so much to ask for Nintendo first party love on their flagship (semi portable) console?

I haven't touched my switch in months. The only game I played this year was Mario Tennis and that was an obsessive weekend fling that ended quickly.

Here's hoping 2019 can deliver. A new Yoshi, Luigi's Mansion, and new Pokemon are certainly enticing and I hope they redeem the switch.

Then again, I went in with the mentaloty that I was really just buying the switch for Zelda, so I really can't be that mad about 2018s lineup.

I can see why people are down about the Switch's offerings in 2018, but I'm in a unique position where it really doesn't bother me. I have a huge backlog to get through, so any new console I got in 2017 wasn't going to be the main priority to begin with. That being said, I've already spent a lot more time with my Switch than I was expecting.

I just hit 60 hours in Super Mario Odyssey this morning while mopping up the rest of the stray moons, I got about 20 hours of Splatoon 2 before paid online kicked in and I still need to finish single player, my girlfriend and I are on the last DLC of Overcooked after 15 hours, Sonic Mania's hit 30 hours from repeat playthroughs, I finished the new Shantae at 10 hours, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is sitting pretty at 55 hours. All this from a console I wasn't expecting to really put time into until much later.

Part of my satisfaction comes from the fact that I never played all these great indies that are releasing (Shantae's PS3 port was canned and the PC version never came to Mac because Steam hates Macs) and Switch is the best place to play them. Another thing is that I don't own a PS4 or Xbox One because they took too long to become worth the asking price, so 3rd parties like Sonic Mania/Forces and Xenoverse 2 are fresh and new to me. I also never had a Wii U, so Wii U ports like Bayonetta 1&2 and Captain Toad are music to my ears.

So I can't say I'm disappointed with Switch's output. I still need to get DOOM, Octopath, Captain Toad, Crash, Bloodstained, probably Ys as well and maybe even World Ends With You. Black Friday's going to be busy. But part of that is the fact that I'm not chomping at the bit for new releases all the time. I have other things to play, so I'm perfectly content with letting my Switch sit while I play other things (even though Odyssey has completely taken over my gaming life right now).

I'd also argue that this is the price for being an early adopter in this gen. PS4 and Xbox One took at least 3 years to be worth buying at all, which people seem to forget. Those early years were filled with prettier ports of old games and sequels that played exactly the same as their last-gen counterparts. At least Switch has the excuse of the Wii U up and dying. It's part of why I made sure I had plenty to play before picking it up. As far as launch years go, Nintendo's the only one that didn't disappoint.

Nintendo swung for the fences in that first year. Brand new Zelda right off the bat, new Mario not long after Splatoon got a sequel, Mario and Rabbids was a pleasant surprise, Xenoblade 2 popped out around holiday time, they brought over some great Wii U games for those who couldn't play them, etc. The Switch had the best launch year of any console in recent memory, and promises of more things like Pokemon and Metroid were on everyone's minds. But there's only so many big IPs Nintendo has, and they've already confirmed some like Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem are on their way. It's all a game of patience at this point, and people hate waiting, but I feel like people fixate on the Switch right now because PS4 and Xbox One have had plenty of time to buff up their libraries so everyone forgets how abysmal those first years were.

So while I sympathize and see where you're coming from, had all 3 consoles launched at the same time, I think the headline 2 years in would be "I'm disappointed by this generation of consoles." At least everyone knows for next time...I hope.

Also on one hand, sure it’s disappointing that Nintendo has relied mostly on ports of their own Wii U games and belated 3rd party ports to carry the Nintendo Switch this year. On the other hand, it has been a great year for me to play a good chunk of great Indie games on the Switch. I’ve adored my time with games like Celeste, Into the Breach, Yoku’s Island Express, Dead Cells and Wandersong in handheld mode.

Plus I’ve enjoyed a couple of AAA games on the system too. Octopath is an RPG experience exclusive to the Switch and while I’m not normally a JRPG guy, I’ve put 60 hours into it and love the game. Playing Mega Man 11 right now and am liking it so far.

Only thing I've played on it this entire year is Bayonetta and Octopath Traveler. Not a great year but I still really like the console and Zelda enough to not mind so much.

I think we have to see how the 3rd year turns out. The first 2 years of a console cycle is almost guaranteed to be spotty. I think mid-tier Japanese developers will target technical specs that’ll allow for PS4/Switch games like Valkyria Chronicles 4 so I think we’ll see decent 3rd party support in the coming years. As much as I don’t care about Smash Ultimate, make not mistake, it’s a big fucking deal. Still, there is a reason why it’s a good idea to wait on consoles for a bit.

I've been playing Switch a ton, but I mostly use it as a handheld, which is what I wanted it for in the first place. It's the ideal platform for games like Dead Cells and Into the Breach. I also am having quite a bit of fun with Octopath Traveller still. I do wish there were more first party Nintendo games, but I have been getting a lot of use out of my Switch anyway.

I've accepted the fact that my Switch, like every other Nintendo console, is something I play sporadically whenever something catches my interest. I've barely touched it since I finished Octopath Traveler, and I'm okay with that, for the most part. If I really wanted something to play on it, there's still Disgaea 5 and plenty of Zelda to trudge through. Heck, I'd probably revisit a lot of those Wii U ports if not for the price. While I willingly repurchased Bayonetta 2 like a sucker, I feel slightly insulted about the idea of paying $60 for something like DKC Tropical Freeze when I bought it for $20 three years ago. Same goes for a lot of smaller indie games. Yeah, it's cool that all of this stuff is coming to the Switch, but chances are I already bought most of the ones I wanted to play on PC or PS4 years ago.

That leaves new stuff, which... yeah, sure. I'll play Smash Bros, and I kinda wish I'd bought Valkyria Chronicles 4 on Switch instead of PS4, but it's been pretty barren this year otherwise. Dry years are kinda the Nintendo way, but it seems like 2019 will (probably) be better as they finally ditch the 3DS for real. Beyond a new Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing, I could see Metroid Prime 4 and Bayonetta 3 happening then.

They totally frontloaded the console. It wouldn't have had such a great 2017 without both Mario and Zelda being released in one year, and you can't exactly release those every single year. However, I'm still satisfied by what I've seen from 2018. More and more devs are porting games to the console and I think it's going to have huge staying power with indie devs moving forward. 2018 has been a sign of growth which is great to see. Can't believe a new Doom game is coming out for this thing. If you would've told me that a few years ago I would've laughed.

2019 will be better and I think we'll continue to see more and more on the console.

It really needed a new mainline Pokemon game this year.

It's too bad, because with them focusing on one system I thought that instead of splitting their lineup into two pieces of hardware it'd be much more likely that even without strong support by third parties Nintendo alone could put out a consistent quality lineup. All of those 3DS Mario and Zelda etc. games that were on best-of lists last generation...what are those teams working on this generation?

I actually think the Switch is a pretty disappointing handheld. This year has been me leaving the honey moon phase with the Switch and coming to terms with the fact that this system left a lot to be desired. Bad ergonomic design of the joycons (specifically the right side) has left my hand hurting from play that no other controller has done to me. A lack of a d-pad for handheld mode has made multiple indie games a disappointing purchase. The weak screen brightness has also made the system a disappointment to play on the go.

The lack of big games that I would want to play on the tv has only highlighted my list of issues with the Switch as a handheld console.

I am one of the people hyped enough for Smash that I won't feel bad about the expected drought of Nintendo games for this thing once it's released.

Kind of some of the reasons why I opted to buy a 2DS XL over a Switch this year; granted that I'm mainly focused on Pokemon and getting legit copies the few GBA and DS games while prices are still reasonable. So from my preservation point of view, my getting a Switch is a lower priority at the moment since prices won't move around all that much.

Isn't there one coming out next month?

I dont think ive ever been more lukewarm on a console in my life. Im probably going to buy smash but after mellee I just never really liked playing any of the other ones for more than a couple times so im definitely not very excited about that. That weird mech game from former armored core staff has me very interested but I think that might be it. There has to be a flood ofbnew games coming though right? With the 3ds almost dead they should have a lot of staff to make switch games.

Im also salty that I bought splatoon 2 and arms but only played em once before the payed online was activated. Im not getting nintendo online so that was 80 euros wasted. I knew up front you'd have to pay to play online some day, cant blame nintendo for that, but its still shitty :p

If I absolutely had to give away one of my game consoles without the ability to ever get it back it'd no doubt be the switch atm haha the wiiU I use constantly as it still has the best internet browser ive ever used on my tv. (and yes that includes hooking up a pc to a tv).

As a portable I think it isnt that great either as none of the games on it are tailor-made with the idea of them being played portably. And imo, to be at its best, a portable game needs to be designed differently than a game im going to be playing hours on end with no distractions and vice versa.

I'm hoping the Switch release of Dragon Quest XI isn't too far off, but I doubt it'll be this year.

I played the Octopath demo, but never got around to buying it. I played Breath of the Wild twice and Mario Odyssey and Kingdom battle but have barely touched the device since the beginning of the year.

I would have happily played Shenmue 1 & 2 HD on Switch. I'll probably eventually get Bayonetta 2, Valkyria Chronicles 4 and Dark Souls on it, but I really wish there were more new games available.

I find myself wishing they'd drag out more Wii U ports for the Switch, and maybe some 3DS ports while we're at it. I'd be more content with the console's drought of flagship exclusives if it meant I could enjoy Samus Returns or Mario Maker on the platform.

If Nintendo were just a little more proactive about the cross-compatibility of their library, the Switch would be a juggernaut. At least, for my usage.

Mario Odyssey is a crowning jewel???? uhhhhhhhhh

I guess it's about what your preferences are and what you're seeking out from the console.

I'm having the opposite experience as yourself. I play my Switch consistently and I've actually started to complete more games since the Switch came out than previously. I end up either waiting or getting the Switch version of a game over my Xbox One because I prioritize the portability factor over horsepower. I take it with me on my commute to work, I play the Switch everywhere in my house and it's easy for me to carry it over to someone's house to play something like Jackbox Party or Snipperclips versus lugging my Xbox One S around. For me, the convenience factor outweighs the 'this looks better on my Xbox One S' thing.

Where I I agree with you though is with regards to Nintendo's output. It's been pretty poor, but given last year's line up included three of my favourite games ever (Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2), I can't really blame them for having a worse line up in 2018. For me though the amount of new indie games and old ports has made me pretty satisfied with the console's output. Though, I understand if indie games are not really your thing. If they are, then likely you've played a bunch of them which are just hitting the Switch now, too. It makes the line up look lackluster.

Their 2019 line up looks more promising at least. Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Animal Crossing, Pokemon (Mainline 2019 game), Metroid Prime 4 (Potentially), Yoshi's Crafted World and DAEMON x MACHINA. They all look pretty great. I imagine there's going to be other games we don't know about as well.

@nevergameover: I don’t think either of these is an especially compelling case for the Switch having a strong library. Into the Breach is incredible, but it also came out months ago on PC. A lot of people seem to like Hollow Knight, but response to it in general among players seems pretty polarized.

I'm a big Smash person, so that will satisfy me for quite a while. Doesn't really excuse the other 11 lackluster months in 2018. How much you get out of it really depends on what you've already played (and if you're willing to double-dip).

@colourful_hippie said:

Yeah, but it's a spin-off from Pokemon Go (and a "remake" of Pokemon Yellow). The new series is hitting next year (apparently).

@tikicobra: If you're docking consoles libraries because their exclusives also came out on PC, then they pretty much all suck.

Also, Hollow knight has a 94% positive user review on Steam and an 87 on metacritic. That's not mixed.

The thing killing the Switch this year for me is the pricing model on most of the stuff that is available elsewhere. I'd like to choose the Switch for a lot of cross-platform indie games and remasters but almost every time the price is higher on the Switch than everywhere else. I don't have a daily commute so portability isn't a reason to pay more for me personally.

@cheetoman: In bad videogame design :D.

Looking forward to the new Pokémans and the mech game they showed of doesn't look to bad, but yeah all by all meager. There "e3" direct was a good sign " yow, we don't got shit" here's Smash for all you terrible human-beings out there.

Just bought mine, (and loving Zelda. Mario et al..) but it would be kinda impossible to follow 2017.

2018 really does feel quite flat by comparison (on all platforms).

Providing Nintendo does not completely alienate its playerbase with the upgraded model, 2019 should be a return to form.

If, as your initial post implies, you didn't play Bayonetta 2 on the Wii U then you should absolutely pick it up here. It was hands-down the best game the year it came out, IMO.

It has been a slightly slower year, though for me that's been somewhat mitigated by the vastness of MonHun GU. It's also been an expansion-focused year - both Splatoon 2 and Mario + Rabbids got genuinely excellent new blobs of content that I'd heartily recommend. I liked what I played of Sushi Strikers, too, though it was a little too expensive for me to justify picking up the full game at launch price.

I've been disappointed as well for a few reasons. The system just isn't powerful enough for some of its games ambitions. Just look at Xenoblade Chronicles 2 chunky pixelated mess. I've been replaying Dragons' Dogma on PS4 and it looks way better despite it being a PS3 remaster.

Ergonomically its terrible. The need to make the controllers shareable make the joycon layouts terrible. The weight of they system makes holding it for long times tiring as well.

I don't regret my purchase, I'm just underwhelmed and disappointed with some choices they made (ie online, voice chat, cloud saves)

I'm loving it. Being able to play handheld is great for me. I have a good tv, but I still prefer to sit on the couch with it in handheld mode. It definitely helps that it's my only current gen console.

I really don't want to be that guy, but this is what happens when you are an early adopter to anything new. This happens with every new console every time, not to say that Nintendo has put out a ton of content, but there are a ton of indie tittles on the Switch and for me that keeps it more than fresh for me. Having the portability to play the games I normally would on the PC on the go or really anywhere is in itself worth it. Sure Nintendo could be doing better messaging what they are doing and having a better flow of games coming out but Nintendo is going to Nintendo and just do whatever they are going to do.

I can't say that I expected anything on the level of Breath Of The Wild for 2018 but I can understand people being diaappointed.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of smash bros, and I've gotten a ton out of indie games on the switch. I don't play during commute or anything, I just like having games I can play in bed. I'm just about wrapped up with Dead Cells and will be double dipping on Risk of Rain tonight.

luckily for me I didnt play any of the indie games being released on the switch before. I just finished hollow knight and spent like 100 hours on dead cells. I just got steamworld dig 2 today and im loving being able to bring it all to work with me. I generally only play it there since when im home im mostly on my PC so its great for me. I do play at home sometimes though. I was so into dead cells i played at home quite a bit on my TV and i finished hollow knight there when my fiance was sick so asleep early. Being able to play all these games people say were amazing but I missed for like $20 while at work is fuckin perfect.

I think the irony is that while I agree that 2018 has made the Switch feel like a handheld, Nintendo doesn’t deem it enough of a handheld to push 3DS game devs over to the Switch. It’s a worst-of-both-worlds scenario where the Switch isn’t powerful enough for AAA releases but TOO powerful (I guess) to get 3DS ports and releases. Having no Virtual Console equivalent certainly doesn’t help.

Well, there's three times as many 3DS units out there.

I bought a Switch early for Zelda, and then bounced off of it after 30 or so hours. Put it down till Mario came out, bounced off of that after maybe 20 hours. Tried Stardew Valley and Battle Chef Brigade, and have now just let it sit plugged in but untouched for months.

I don't have a commute, so I have little in the way of the time to really play through these games. The indie game argument doesn't really work with me, as I have other venues where I can play those games that are cheaper and better (Doom for instance).

I think the thing with the Switch that is the biggest problem is the battery life. I'm luck if I get 3-4 hours out of a charge, which for a handheld that came out in 2017 is terrible. I've travelled with the Switch and had huge issues just charging it, including using an international voltage adapter. I was travelling in France last year, and even using multiple charging outlets could not get it to charge, which was great when you are looking at a 6 hour plane ride.

I played mostly in handheld mode, and found the ergonomics just killed my wrists and hands (thanks RSI injuries).

I didn't grow up with Nintendo, so I don't have the nostalgia for the "classic" characters. I mostly find Nintendo more annoying than not, due to the cartoony graphics.

I actually think I am totally okay with the Switch being just a good handheld right now. I can't say I've sought out a reason to play Nintendo's larger console-length stuff in a long long time; whereas I totally fell in love with my 2DS slate and now the Switch for smaller handheld stuff..