Nintendo 2018- A Year's Retrospective

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

After the stellar launch year of Nintendo’s hybrid platform last year, 2018 was always going to be a tough act to follow. In the end, the year may have not done the impossible, bringing Nintendo back on the map and the release of two entries in its biggest franchises, but 2018 also came with enough heavy hitters to nevertheless reassure your Switch’s place in your home.
Going into the new year, Nintendo’s 2017 left them with a lot of good will. “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” and “Super Mario Odyssey” did however leave a lot of pressure for them to get out equally great titles. “Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!” and “Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee!” as well as “Super Smash Bros Ultimate” arguably did this but a little too late, having launched in the final months of 2018.

What the Switch got exclusively earlier on was not bad, though not on the same level as the aforementioned titles. “Kirby Star Allies” was a delightful platformer, welcoming to all ages, though this March title was seen by many to be a little too easy. “Kirby Star Allies” didn’t make much of a splash.

Nintendo would later release titles like “Mario Tennis Aces” and “Super Mario Party.” Both saw varied love and distaste alike, thought the former had a lot less good will in the end. Despite the “Mario” name in them, these games certainly didn’t mean as much to the gaming environment of 2018 as “Super Mario Odyssey” did to 2017.

The biggest surprise in exclusives was “Octopath Traveler.” The game got a lot of praise in its summer release for it bringing back the likes of old school RPGs. “Octopath Traveler” is surely niche, once more not on the level of other exclusives, but it was a pleasing release for Nintendo’s core fan base.

Of course, one of gaming’s biggest flops was the Wii U. But with the Switch’s quick success, many of the console predecessor’s best games made the switch, no pun intended. This year, “Bayonetta 2,” “Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze,” “Hyrule Warriors,” and “Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker” all got ports to the Switch. Some of these games earned their well-deserved attention on the platform that the previous home could not provide.

Nintendo’s third party support is prevalent yet still not nearly as strong as it could be. This year we did see the Switch get “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus,” “Crash Bandicoot The N. Sane Trilogy,” “Diablo 3,” “Dragon Ball FighterZ” and of course, “Fortnite.” These titles are a few of the shining examples of the gradual but delightful move forward in the third party scene on Nintendo’s console.

What was truly associated with the publisher and its hybrid console this year was indie games. The Switch got many indies that its competitors also scored. What made it different for Nintendo was that the nature of the platform in its accessibility and portability, making gamers everywhere desire the latest indie games off the eShop over anywhere else.

One of the earliest releases to make waves in 2018 was “Celeste.” The 2D platformer was praised (and continues to be) for an effective story about mental health and challenging oneself, as well as for its catchy music and challenging gameplay loop. It is multiplatform yet this indie was strongly associated with the Switch.

The same can be said for plenty more. The indie scene was huge in 2018 for the Switch more than anywhere else. Some notable releases include “Yoku’s Island Express,” “Hollow Knight,” “Dead Cells,” “The Messenger,” “Into the Breach” and “Gris,” many of which wee, once more, associated with Nintendo’s console greatly.

Back into the fall and holiday season of the year, 2018 did see “Pokemon” and “Super Smash Bros” titles, arguably as big as the likes of “Super Mario” and “The Legend of Zelda.” “Pokemon: Let’s Go!” and “Super Smash Bros Ultimate” released November 16 and December 7 respectively, a little late of a hit for many to consider the quality of 2018 for Nintendo.

“Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! And Eevee” were however considered to be true delights and charming returns to the origins of the franchise, coupled with many new features, pushing them forward. It is overall not the “Pokemon” title many want (that should release in 2019) but nevertheless the results showed quality.

Nintendo’s E3 2018 event was all about “Super Smash Bros Ultimate.” With every single character in franchise history confirmed to return at the event, the game was already one of the biggest under Nintendo's belt for the year. And when it did release earlier this month, and ever since, “Super Smash Bros Ultimate” provided players with almost 80 unique and balanced fighters, most of which need to be unlocked. They gave us access to tens of hundreds of stages to play on, songs to listen to and so much more. The content heavy title revolutionized “Super Smash Bros” for many and certainly acts as one of the most notable games the publisher has launched yet for the Switch, surely a reason to look back in glory on this year.

As for everything else the Switch got shown off at E3 though, there was not a whole lot. This year’s event was dedicated to “Super Smash Bros Ultimate” and as a result, the rest of the shown material suffered, despite being filled with interesting announcements. “Super Mario Party,” “Fire Emblem: The Three Houses” and “Daemon X Machina” stood out for many. It was overall a “Smash Direct” more than anything and the content for the fighter shown was nothing short of epic but they, in hindsight, should probably have balanced things better.

And outside of the Switch’s software, Nintendo did release a few titles on its still breathing 3DS. Though not at all as abundant and admittedly weaker, the 3DS releases of 2018 still meant something. Those who still found faith in the handheld in 2018 got the likes of “Luigi’s Mansion,” “WarioWare Gold” and “Metroid: Samus Returns.” Many wished to experience the best 3DS games squeezing out in 2018 to be on the Switch of course and resultantly, the handheld was less than notable overall for Nintendo fans and casual gamers alike with its far superior contemporary in the Switch hot on the market.

Nintendo did challenge the industry with something relatively fresh in “Nintendo Labo.” The building capabilities the hardware with software integration provided consumers was cool and interesting, though few and far between in the conversation of notable steps overall for most gamers not on the youth side.

Lastly, Nintendo Switch Online launched in September. For only $19.99 to gain access to an entire year of online play, it is a lot more accessible than its competitors. However this online subscriptions free titles are quite different. Currently, the much beloved Virtual Console is all but dead with the Switch online subscription giving access to several NES titles. In the near future, we are promised more of those and we may very well see SNES or GameBoy integration, though nothing is certain. It is a fine subscription for online play but not great.

With 2019 upon us and promises of several new Switch titles like “Bayonetta 2” and “Metroid Prime 4” on the horizon, as well as 2019 confirmations for a new “Animal Crossing,” “Yoshi’s Crafted World” and “Luigi’s Mansion 3,” it is hard not to be excited for the platform’s third year on the market. 2018 was not the most stellar, though it had to follow an exceptional launch year of a console that everybody and their mother wanted, one that launched with arguably the best “Legend of Zelda” game to date. This past year did see a bevy of great indie games, many largely associated with the Switch. It also had a few notable third party titles make their way over, as well as the release of the most ambitious and massive “Super Smash Bros” game to date. It lacked in many ways in comparison to both Sony and Microsoft’s decisions and actions pf 2018 and its own 2017; however, in the end, the games we did, namely towards the year’s end, were nothing short of system sellers in their own right.

What was your favorite Switch game released in 2018? Were you satisfied with console's lineup or did you find it to be lacking? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below.