The video game industry continues to grow and each new generation of gaming ushers in unprecedented levels of immersion and creativity. It’s been more than five years since the release of Nintendo’s latest gaming console, the Switch, and it’s proven itself as one of the more successful video game consoles of all time.
The Switch itself has changed in crucial ways since its inception and there are still highly anticipated releases on the way, such as Bayonetta 3 and the newest entry in the Xenoblade Chronicles series. The Nintendo Switch still has a healthy life ahead of it, and in only a few years it’s established some excellent titles are already considered Nintendo classics.
10 Super Mario Odyssey Is Proof The Plumber Is Still Platforming’s Greatest Hero
Nintendo has developed a reputation as an innovator in the platforming genre due to how each new entry in the Super Mario series proves an impressive step forward. Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, and Super Mario Galaxy are equally influential achievements in gaming and the Switch doesn’t disappoint with its mainline Mario game, Super Mario Odyssey.
Odyssey is jam-packed with adventures to discover. While paying service to the franchise’s successful past, it boldly tackles new territory through the engaging Cappy mechanic. There’s been no Super Mario Odyssey 2 because the original is still such a satisfying experience.
9 Metroid Dread Is A Challenging And Atmospheric Burst Of Sci-Fi And Action
Metroid was another illustrious Nintendo franchise that had its roots on the original Nintendo Entertainment System, yet it struggled to find the same universal acclaim as Zelda or Super Mario. Metroid’s shift to the first-person shooter genre with the Metroid Prime Trilogy redefined what a Metroid game could be.
Metroid Prime 4 is still on the way, but fans have also been eager for a return to 2D action exploration. Metroid Dread delivers on that expectation with a throwback to the series’ roots that’s both foreboding, frightening, and genuinely difficult at times. It’s exactly what the Metroid franchise needs.
8 Monster Hunter Rise Is Immersive Action-RPG Bliss And A Franchise High
The Monster Hunter action-RPG franchise first debuted back in 2004 as a cult classic in Japan. It progressively found an international following, and it was soon developed into an American movie by Resident Evil's Paul W.S. Anderson.
The gameplay, scale, and satisfaction of the Monster Hunter series only increased in the two decades since its origins, and many herald Monster Hunter Rise as the franchise's peak. The Monster Hunter series found success as a multi-platform release from Capcom. Starting as a Switch exclusive, Rise became a testament to what's possible on the Nintendo console’s hardware.
7 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Celebrates Decades Of History Between Nintendo And The Gaming Industry
Nintendo's crossover fighting franchise, Super Smash Bros., started as a humble Nintendo 64 game that nearly wasn't localized outside of Japan. In time the game became a console-moving juggernaut with a roster of nearly 100 characters.
Some fans might argue there were diminishing returns in the bloated Super Smash Bros. games, but including every character from past releases was one of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's selling points. Offering 89 playable characters, Ultimate was a passionate love letter to the evolution of the video game industry, remaining Nintendo's crown jewel in the fighting genre.
6 Donkey Kong Country Returns: Tropical Freeze Brings The Jungle King Back To Platforming Supremacy
Nintendo established some exceptional platformer series. Among them, the Donkey Kong Country trilogy for the Super Nintendo were groundbreaking. Donkey Kong went through many genre transformations to varying degrees of success, but the Donkey Kong Country Returns games were a satisfying return to challenging, no-nonsense platforming gameplay.
Originally released as a Wii U title, Donkey Kong Country Returns: Tropical Freeze later made its way over to the Switch. Including additional features, it even allowed players to take over Funky Kong as a new easy mode.
5 Pokémon Sword And Shield Ushers In A New Generation Of Monsters
The Pokémon franchise evolved beyond a popular video game franchise into a juggernaut multimedia property with no limit to its success. For decades the Pokémon games thrived as a handheld series, but audiences recently got to experience its exponential growth as mainline titles found a home on the Nintendo Switch.
This tradition only continued, but Pokémon Sword and Shield — the eighth generation of Pokémon games — were a vital step forward for the franchise as well as one of the most fulfilling adventures on the Switch. The upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet might have the potential to be an even greater game.
4 Kirby And The Forgotten Land Is The Next-Gen Kirby Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Kirby franchise has just celebrated its 30th anniversary, and it’s grown into one of the most versatile platforming series due to the protagonist’s malleable nature. Kirby games come in many shapes, sizes, and genres, but the Nintendo Switch’s Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the series’ biggest entry in a long time.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the first fully 3D open world adventure in the franchise and everything about the game is bigger than before — including Kirby’s new Mouthful Mode transformations. Kirby and the Forgotten Land looks gorgeous, but above everything else it’s just fun to play.
3 The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Packages Together Two Rewarding Adventures In Deduction
Starting all the way back on the Game Boy Advance, The Ace Attorney series is now more than ten titles strong. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a compilation of two Nintendo 3DS titles — The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve — which provides audiences with a lengthy experience that’s the Ace Attorney series at its best.
These games are set at the end of the 19th century and follow Phoenix Wright’s ancestor, as well as introduce the rewarding Dance of Deduction and Summation Examination gameplay mechanics. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is technically a multi-platform release, but the franchise has its roots in Nintendo.
2 Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury Improves Upon A Platforming Classic
The Wii U marked a low point for Nintendo consoles and nearly every title that was exclusive to it was later released in an upgraded form for the Switch. Super Mario 3D World became one of the standout Wii U releases and a satisfying evolution to Super Mario's platforming antics.
However, the Switch version improved upon the original and included a whole new game, Bowser's Fury, to further sweeten the deal. It's a deliriously fun game for both solo gamers or groups of friends, and it offered a substantially different experience than the Switch's other top Mario title, Super Mario Odyssey.
1 The Legend Of Zelda: The Breath Of The Wild Pushes The Nintendo Classic To New Heights
The Legend of Zelda is a signature series that’s received healthy representation on all of Nintendo’s consoles. The Legend of Zelda has reached a point where it’s able to move consoles just as much as a new Super Mario game. Launch titles like Breath of the Wild are among Nintendo’s boldest accomplishments.
The Zelda series has endured for as long as it has because of how each game relies upon unique mechanics.The Switch’s Breath of the Wild is by far the greatest departure. Players experience a sprawling open world Zelda adventure where they’re allowed to tackle the story however they want. There’s never been more freedom in a Zelda game.