Reader Discussion – Celebrating Five Years Of Switch: Favorite And Underrated Games

Five years ago, Nintendo’s most current console, Switch was released. It is hard to believe. It was the beginning of the handheld hybrid revolution, which was ushered into being by the legendary game, The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild and, later, Super Mario Odyssey. It’s been a hell of a ride so far, and in the half-decade since its release, the Nintendo Switch has gone toe-to-toe with not one, but now two generations of powerhouse consoles from rival brands Xbox and PlayStation, and continues to sell well despite being undeniably a less graphically powerful device.

Since March 3, 2017, The Switch has hosted tons of fantastic gaming experiences. I’d like to know two things from you, dear readers: what is your favorite game on Switch of all time, and what is one game that you feel is an underrated gem that deserves to be played by more people? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below and we can celebrate great video games.

Here are some answers to start the conversation:

While I think this is a popular answer, Breath of the Wild has been my most favorite Switch game. This is despite the fact that I don’t have any credits. My hours spent roaming Hyrule’s open terrain, exploring shrine challenges and climbing mountains to find korok seeds or finding new weapons and gear have been endless. This is a far cry from Zelda’s formula. It captures the wonder and exploration of the world so beautifully that it makes me ponder every time I open it. This game is brilliant and I’m sorry I didn’t finish it. I’m determined to get it finished before it gets a sequel. Whenever that is.

Monster Hunter Stories is an overlooked gem. Not only is it a monster collector (one of my favorite RPG sub-genres), but it offers a fun and very different combat system from the Pokémons, Dragon Quest Monsters, and TemTems of the world. I genuinely think people can pick up concepts from Stories and carry those ideas into the mainline Monster Hunter games, which is a huge benefit for folks interested in the series but are too intimidated by All of itThat goes for hunting.

These are just my top picks. We’d love to hear from you about your favourite Switch games and lesser-known gems. For more anniversary action, check out last week’s episode of Brian Shea’s podcast All Things NintendoHe talks to Ben Reeves, a former editor about five years of Switch’s existence.