Six Years On, Which Was Nintendo Switch's Best Year So Far?

Switch Animal Crossing — *Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life*

The Switch has been out for a whopping six years at the moment! Can you imagine it? We’re undecided what the extra mind-blowing truth is right here, the concept that we’ve not had something new from Nintendo for over half a decade or the realisation that 2017 was six years in the past…

Either approach, making it to a sixth birthday whereas nonetheless churning out top-notch content material like Fire Emblem Engage, Metroid Prime Remastered, and (okay, possibly we’re getting just a little forward of ourselves right here) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is fairly good going any console. At this level of their respective lifecycles, the pricey Wii U was useless within the water and even people who individuals look again on extra fondly just like the GBA had lengthy been sidelined by their successor.

What’s much more spectacular is how the Switch has managed to maintain the ball rolling persistently over its six-year lifespan. We do not look again to the “glory days” of 2017 with rose-tinted goggles and talk about what the Switch “used to be,” as a result of frankly there’s a legit declare to be made that each single 12 months has been a cracking one for Nintendo’s newest and (arguably) biggest.

But the place’s the enjoyable in saying, “eh, they’re all good”? We wish to know which 12 months has been one of the best — and that is the place you are available in.

Before we dive proper right into a vote, let’s have a very fast take a look at what every year had in retailer with a really temporary overview…

Switch and Mario Odyssey — “Let’s-a go” as somebody would *in all probability* say… — *Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life*

2017

Kicking it off was 2017. This is the 12 months the place we obtained the launch of the Switch in addition to the discharge of many titles that we nonetheless maintain up as a number of the console’s greatest at the moment akin to Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey. It was early days, sure, however these days have been undeniably good ones.

2018

Moving onto the comparatively quieter 2018. There have been nonetheless some large hitters for the console together with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee and the indie market continued to shine with releases like Celeste and The Messenger stealing our hearts. This was additionally the premiere of Nintendo LABO, a short-lived experiment, positive, however one which confirmed that Nintendo wasn’t carried out innovating but.

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2019

2019 was the 12 months that introduced Nintendo’s lonely console a brand new good friend, thus starting the “Switch family of consoles”. The Switch Lite was launched to a blended reception, notably drawing criticism as “the Switch that doesn’t”, however this is not to say that it was with out its perks. We additionally noticed the discharge of titles like Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, remakes within the type of Link’s Awakening, and much more high quality ports like The Witcher 3.

2020

In the face of 2020‘s international pandemic, Nintendo managed to maintain the fireplace burning. Animal Crossing: New Horizons introduced some sense of normality to remoted lockdowns and we obtained some cracking ports and remakes like Pikmin 3 Deluxe, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, and Super Mario 3D All-Stars.

2021

2021 noticed Nintendo firing on all cylinders after the prior 12 months’s delays. We obtained excellent authentic titles like Metroid Dread and Monster Hunter Rise in addition to the return of some remastered acquainted favourites like Skyward Sword HD, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The again half of the 12 months additionally noticed the discharge of the gorgeous Switch OLED, full with crisp visuals, a bigger display, and higher battery life. And, you possibly can high all that off with the launch of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion pack bringing N64 and SEGA Genesis video games to the console.

2022

This leads us onto the ultimate full 12 months, 2022. While some argued that this was a foul one for Switch, we won’t assist however scratch our heads on the criticism after we take a look at the 12 months’s line-up: Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Splatoon 3, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. There have been no console bulletins, it is true, however that listing is nothing to be scoffed at.

Needless to say, the previous six years have been jam-packed stuffed with high quality video games. And so, with that little rundown beneath your belt, which 12 months do you reckon was one of the best for the console, or do you suppose that one of the best is but to return?

We have assembled the next ballot so that you can have your say and be happy to take to the feedback afterwards to tell us what made your high 12 months so particular for you.