10 Most Anticipated Nintendo Switch Exclusives Of 2019
The year of Nintendo begins now.
Nintendo's not pulling any punches in 2019.
With Sony and Microsoft beginning to wind down its respective console generations with but a few triple-A heavyweights left to come, the Big N has already braved the minefield of hardware transition and emerged on the other side with arguably its greatest flagship device yet.
The result of Nintendo's premature hardware jump is a gaming calendar that, for the first time in a long time, is filled to the brim, not with Xbox or PlayStation exclusives, but those of the Ninty kind. It's a glorious sight to behold, not least for those that suffered through the games drought brought on by the ill-fated Wii U, but what's done is done.
Nintendo is back at its best and ready to inundate Switch owners with a year-long monsoon of gaming excellence before there's even been time to recover from the last.
Suda51's follow-up to cult hack and slash series No More Heroes and a renovated Wii U port infused with new content lead the charge in January, with Yoshi's next big adventure, new Smash Ultimate content and more to follow as winter gives way to spring. Several shoo-ins for Game of the Year 2019 are on course to follow that strong start, but until Nintendo's ready to spill the beans, there's plenty here to keep Switch owners occupied.
10. Daemon X Machina
Release date: TBA 2019
For those that have been pining for further adventures in FromSoftware's Armored Core franchise since 2013's Verdict Day, the wait will sadly continue in 2019. Since finding mainstream fame with Dark Souls and Bloodborne, under Miyazaki, the studio has undergone a major tonal shift, and while we should never say never, the mech franchise has all but been left on the backburner for now.
Bad news for would-be pilots of building-sized robots, then, but never fear, Nintendo's got you covered. Serving as the opener for Nintendo's E3 showcase last year, Daemon X Machina looks to retread many of the same beats that helped carve out Armored Core's appeal, the main difference being the adoption of a standout cel-shaded aesthetic that breathes life into an otherwise cold premise.
As if that wasn't good news enough, Kenichiro Tsukuda, one of the producers for the Armored Core series during its golden years, returns to the very same role for what's shaping up to be a spiritual successor to From's cult series. If Daemon's moment-to-moment gameplay is anywhere as frenetic and high octane as it suggests, we're in for a treat when it launches later this year.