Rating Nintendo 2017 - Console Games and Releases

[Kai_Mao]

I think its hard to argue not giving Nintendo an 8, 9, or a 10. I'd personally give them a 10. With so much against them and some people questioning on whether this would be the last hurrah for Nintendo and whether its time to go third party, things have been falling in place quite well for them this year.

The Switch is doing wonders for their business and there seems to be no signs of slowing down heading to the holiday season. The presentation, while not perfect, did a great job on showing what the console could do and the games it will release. Zelda Breath of the Wild was, and still is, a well-discussed game that has garnered incredible praise, being the launch game the Switch needed. ARMS is a solid new IP from the Mario Kart team and I hope the new content will help its prestige over time, especially once EVO Japan hits. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best version of the original and continued the momentum after Zelda. Splatoon 2, despite questions of its legitimacy as a sequel, showed that the Splatoon mania in Japan is still kicking, even matching up to the sales of the PS4 version of DQXI, which is a big thing in Japan. Then you got solid offerings like Pokken, Fire Emblem Warriors, and the surprise hit Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. Indies and other multiplatform games have filled up the Switch library well until Super Mario Odyssey was able to help the Switch take off once more. With Xenoblade Chronicles 2, along with DOOM, Skyrim, Rocket League, and LA Noire, filling out the rest of the year, the Switch's first year lineup of games is arguably among the all-time greats. There's more room to improve and I cannot wait to see what's next in 2018 and beyond.

The 3DS is still persevering despite being in its 6th year on the market. Though its not getting the attention from the first party studios as years past, its still getting quality content to fill its already massive library. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia and Metroid Samus Returns were well-received remakes/reimagings of black-sheep games of their respective franchises, Etrian Odyssey V, SMT Strange Journey, and Radiant Historia showed the continued support from Atlus, Lady Layton was a solid sequel/spin-off of the Layton series, and Pokémon Ultra Sun/Moon appear to be more than meets the eye and could be great send-offs for the Pokémon 3DS games (and proving Joe Merrick of Serebii right on the pattern of how news of third versions are handled and how these particular versions are probably greater than the usual third version). Not to mention Hey! Pikmin, Ever Oasis, Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga, and Mario Party Top 100. This might be the last great year of an incredible handheld.

Mobile has been pretty good for Nintendo as well. While Mario Run hasn't gained the profits, its still being downloaded by the millions. Fire Emblem Heroes is a surprisingly fun and addictive gacha game. Plus, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp is coming this month and has some potential.

The SNES Classic was a highly anticipated collector's item. Despite the history of the NES Classic, the skepticism of SNES Classic stock, and the craziness behind the preorders, the SNES Classic appears to be getting better stock and appears to have sold more than the NES Classic in its debut. Plus, it was nice that Nintendo was able to release Star Fox 2 after all these years. Hopefully more people can get the collector's item.

So overall, Nintendo has provided a lot of content from a variety of platforms. Both in quantity and quality. Nintendo couldn't have asked for a better year to really set the tone for their present and future.