Man... for the last week I've been looking for something worthwhile on the Nintendo Switch eShop to spend some cash on. Most of the games on there are either ports of Wii-u games, lesser ports of console games that released many moons ago, or overpriced mobile phone shovel-ware.

Games I have:

• Zelda: BOTW (awesome. finished)
• Mario Odyssey (awesome. finished)
• Mario Kart 8 (eh. sonic and all stars racing transformed is better, Vinny is right)
• Stardew Valley (fun game but never ends)
• Night in the Woods (cool but got bored)
• Steamworld Dig 2 (cool but got bored)
• Sexy Brutale (super shitty FPS and loading on switch version)
• Retro City Rampage DX (port of years old game)
• Batman: Telltale (played 5 minutes, never played again)

Games I do not want:

• Mario Rabbids (looks extra grind-y)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (characters and story look god awful)

I like the switch a lot, but I am so bored with it now that I spend more time on the eShop trying to psyche myself into buying a game that I am only marginally interested in, than actually "playing the game" like Reggie wanted. It's kind of telling that an 8-bit version of a Castlevania-type is the most intriguing title on the system in months. Not even 16-bit.

Does anyone feel similar? Can anyone recommend a great Switch game? Or should I just chill out and wait for E3?

I'm disappointed with the over reliance on Wii U ports (full price too) but their output seems similar to past consoles. (namely the Wii & Wii U)

I would recommend chilling out but I dont think you'll be satisfied by whatever is at e3.

Mario Tennis and Captain Toad aren't far away at least... Hoping E3 has some good announcements though.

@boozak: yeah... the switch's output being similar to those older consoles is what worries me. Hopefully this isn't the same thing again

If those are your concerns about Xenoblade Chronicles 2, you should give it a chance.

Also try ARMS, Snipperclips, Fire Emblem Warriors, Golf Story, maybe some multiplatform stuff you never played. There's no shortage of good Switch games. Definitely not at all comparable to the Wii U.

As someone who just got the Switch in March, I feel like it's amazing the library it has after only a year. But I have a lot of good games to catch up on. I guess I understand it would be different if I had played everything already. The new releases haven't been too exciting. E3 should bring a lot of good news. Developers seem to have really underestimated this system and are scrambling now to put things on it.

There's gonna be a ton of ports due to the 'But what if...portable' factor and the usual lineup of really solid Nintendo first party stuff.

Seeing how it's a Nintendo console that third parties have not immediately fled from it seems like it's doing alright.

Some of the games I have that you haven't listed are...

• Arms (okay for like 30 minutes, can probably skip)
• Bayonetta 2 (if you never played it on Wii-U and like character action games, you should give it a shot. It's weird but fun)
• Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze (same as with Bayonetta, if you never played the Wii-U version, you should give it a go)
• Kirby: Star Allies (easy, short, fun time. Better co-op if you have family or friends around)
• Sonic Mania (a good sonic game if you like the old sonic games)
• Splatoon 2 (a fun multiplayer focused shooter. Don't buy it for the single player content)

You should give Mario + Rabbids a shot if you like strategy games at all. I bumped the difficulty down to easy and it was much more fun. There really isn't much of a grind in that game, you don't need to replay sections.

I haven't played Xenoblade so I can't speak to that one.

Every time I see this, I wonder if people train themselves to have super selective memory. This isn't a Nintendo exclusive problem, it's a problem with this entire gen. The PS4 and Xbox One spent like the first 3 years of their existence tirelessly porting over every big game from last gen. You ether had 'Game X: Definitive Edition' or you had a pile of crap. There were a few saving grace games like Witcher 3, but for the most part there was nothing eye-catching at all. But everyone was fine with that.

The Switch, by comparison, has 2 GOTY contenders, 1 of which won, under its belt along with several great exclusives like Rabbids and Xenoblade, all in its first year, and it's the end of the world because they're porting several Wii U games? Heck, at least they have the excuse that the Wii U up and died instead of being widely played and loved like the PS3 and 360. But no, despite having the best first year lineup of this entire gen by far, it's all over for poor Nintendo for having the exact same problem the competition had.

I mean seriously?

Yeah, it's kind of similar to the last two consoles. Some great games, but not ones that keep me coming back, and the lack of big third-party titles that interest me hurts. The system is like Wii and Wii U in how it is figuratively just collecting dust, but it's not literally because I wouldn't let that happen and my brother actually plays it quite a bit with games like Splatoon 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles as well as others. To be honest, I am just waiting for a Metroid game. The last time I thought about playing the system was when the Bayonetta games went on it, but I already have them on the Wii U. It has been several months since I've played it. Plus, as well made as Zelda and Mario are, I didn't love them so they didn't keep me coming back for more when I saw everything I could see in them. We have a bunch of games on the system, but none I really want to play myself. Sometimes I do think 'maybe I should see what's new on the Switch or play some games on there.' Then I just don't.

Xenoblade has its pitfalls for sure but it's honestly well worth playing if you like JRPGs or if you liked the first game. I was turned off by the art style at first but I gave it a chance and I fell madly in love with it. The story is pretty good but the characters can be a bit chatty at times so it might be worth it for you to play it with the Japanese VO.

You can skip Mario and Rabbids though. I enjoyed my time with it but it wasn't as great as I was hoping it was going to be. It isn't grindy but it isn't true X-Com either and that was my big problem. It plays so much like an X-Com game that the whole time I was playing it I kept lamenting the fact that it wasn't X-com and that got me missing all the systems that were missing from Mario and Rabbids.

Mario & Rabbids definitely isn't grindy, but it is a little basic but I liked it - it's not for everyone especially if you're not in for that kind of strategy game. Though the way you feel about the Switch is kind of how I feel about games in general. I can't even think of a single game I earnestly want to play this year until Red Dead comes out. God of War was quite good and I might mop up the remainder of side stuff at some point, but for now I'm settled. I'd rather replay Breath of the Wild, get DS remastered or just go through some backlog thing.

So, we know that Smash Bros., Mario Tennis, and Fire Emblem are going to be the big releases this year from Nintendo. There's also gonna be Octopath Traveler which might be more up your alley than Xenoblade. Valkyria Chronicles 4 will probably get a release date at E3 and be released, if not this year, early next year. So despite these summer doldrums, I don't think you'll be wanting for games come September or so.

As for right now , and disregarding ports of older games, I've been having a hell of a time with Celeste and Dandara. You seem to be into those kinda adventury platform games so I think those will tide you over 'til E3.

Honestly, most summers I just end up catching up on my backlog anyways. If you want to revisit an old favorite then now's the time. Also, welcome to the future of consoles where the first year is nothing but ports. Happened to the PS4 and Xbone, and now it's happening to the Switch. : (

That 8 bit castlevania not castlevania thing is pretty good. And the price is alright imo.

I mean its a Nintendo console, if you're not couch competitive/couch co op you're going to feel left out. We play Rayman, Stickbold!, Sonic, Human: Fall Flat, Arms, Enter the Gungeon, Rocket League, Puyo Puyo Tetris, and of course Overcooked. We'll go back and forth between these. The games you listed include BOTW, Odyssey, and MK8, (i wont preach that stardew is one of the GOAT here but i loooove it). You listed 3 of the better games I think have ever been made, and thats within the first year of release.

As far as ports go, I dont really know what you expect. I have a Switch, XB1, PS4, and a good PC, and if its on Switch thats where I buy it. I travel at least once a month which makes it great, but usually its just docked. The only worthwhile exclusive on PS4 for me so far is God of War, and the only Xbox exclusive is....Master Chief Collection (I recognize lots of people enjoy Bloodborne, Horizon, Gears, just not for me)

Just be patient, we've got Mario Tennis AND Smash this year. Dont overlook Splatoon 2 either. There is a fuck ton of shovelware though, they need to curate their store better.

This is the generation of remasters, OP. It’s not just a Switch issue.

As someone who is tempted to pick up a Switch at some point, even though I haven't been a console guy for years now (I like my PS4, the controller has become my go-to for gamepad games on PC, but haven't played that much on it), I'm intrigued by this thread and the OP, because I don't hear much negativity about the range of titles available on the platform.

As others have said, a reliance on remasters and a paucity of exciting new titles is not a problem that is exclusive to the Switch in it's first year. Right now, my impression is that people are hyped about the platform thanks to the portability and the speed at which third parties have picked up on the fact that people want their games to be on the Switch. I also think that a lot of people had low expectations for the platform after the Wii U. But will we see more people expressing concerns about the platform as time goes on? I must admit, I didn't really know what the hot upcoming Switch games were, and Mario Tennis is a platform-seller for me considering how much I loved the O.G. N64 game, but yeah, maybe Nintendo does need a killer E3 to keep people on the hype bandwagon.

i agree with you OP 100% percent. Nintendo is trying to get by with tons of ports and a bunch of terrible little indie games. I actually dont play my switch at all anymore

The novelty of portable console games has yet to wear off on me. It helps that there are a handful of amazing older games that I never played until getting them on the Switch, but I also find myself rebuying games I beat in the past just because I want to be able to play them on the go. I don't understand why one would be upset by the filler in the store; the video game market has been 99% filler since the dawn of time.

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon just dropped and it is pretty fuckin rad! Give that a try if you're into that kind of game.

i bought a switch in november of last year. i've found about 1 game per month since then that i end up buying, and that's pretty solid IMHO- about all i would expect.

granted i haven't owned a nintendo console since n64...so the novelty is still there and i'm happy to pick up wii u ports.

but as for a suggestion for something recent?

RUNNER 3 IS DOPE.

@mistersims: Based on your list, our tastes are kind of similar. If that's the case, I'd definitely recommend Celeste. It's easily the game I've put the most time into outside of BotW and Odyssey.

Hope you find what you're looking for!