10 Best Nintendo Switch Exclusives Of 2018
Who’s the very best from this dark horse of a console?
If 2017 announced the Nintendo Switch’s arrival with the brilliant Breath Of The Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, 2018 was the year it confirmed it could kick it with the best. The stale Wii U feels like a distant memory (though some of its best titles have gotten ports), and while games like Arms originally made the Switch feel like the Wii’s true successor, more ambitious recent games have marked it as a return to the glory days of the Gamecube, or dare we say it, the N64.
Ultimately, 2018 confirmed that the great games of 2017 were no fluke. The exclusives Nintendo served up this year are good enough to rival PlayStation and Xbox - especially when you look at the top three or so. Being much newer than those consoles, it sometimes feels like it’s fighting a losing battle, but after dogged determination in the form of some truly excellent games, equal footing has been earned.
New adventures for old favourites, reimaginings of classic tales and even some stellar new IPs, Switch owners had it good this year. What we’re focusing on here is exclusives. So which exclusive was the very best, like no one ever was?
10. Super Mario Party
While the Switch seems to be marketing itself as a games console more than a family entertainment box like the Wii, it still has excellent party games. The family friendly image of the company mixed with the joycons gives them a unique slice of the market, even whilst Octopath Traveler and Breath Of The Wild attract the more hardcore gamer.
A huge part of that appeal are games like Super Mario Party. It eschewed the numbering system (this would be Mario Party 11), possibly to attract new Switch players who had never played the series before. If that was the plan, it certainly worked. Super Mario Party is the fastest selling Mario Party since 6, and that's taking into account that it launched at the same time as Forza and Assassin’s Creed, coming not too long after FIFA, Spider-Man and Tomb Raider either. Those are great numbers in a crowded market.
For returning players, the creative mix of mini-games was certainly welcome too. Using both the motion sensors and the buttons added to the variety. However, the lack of boards (only four?!) seems strangely half baked for their first entry on their new flagship. Online mode was finally added though, so overall definitely a step in the right direction.