The Nintendo Switch is flying quietly 2019

It's a strange year for video game consoles. With the next generation of future hardware, Microsoft and Sony are not producing as many big games for the Xbox One or PlayStation 4, opting instead to strengthen their war chest. Nintendo, meanwhile, has already released entries of the main line for its biggest heavy hitters, Zelda and Mario, before this year. And yet, even without these big names, the Nintendo Switch dominated 2019.

Certainly, the popularity of the Switch depends largely on multiplatform titles. Titles like the excellent Steamworld Quest and dependence Dragon Quest Builders 2 technically, it can be enjoyed elsewhere, but the ability to take these fleshy role games anywhere makes versions of Nintendo Switch the ports of choice. Second-party exclusives like Cadence of Hyrule and Tetris 99During this time, they managed to inject into the old franchises a rare feeling of verve and originality.

For its part, Nintendo itself has not been slumped either. The Japanese developer continued to support Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with new characters, like Persona 5Joker – and more characters are in the works. These DLC fighters have allowed the board game to remain relevant until 2019, both for the general public who wishes to see his favorite franchise represented, as well as for the more selective competitive community. Smash Bros. Ultimate was the most popular game at Evo 2019, the largest combat games tournament in the world. And while players continue to bicker about the allegedly overwhelming inclusion of characters like Hero, it has never been so interesting to watch Smash Bros. high level. In Evo alone, the Top 10 participants have chosen a varied list including everyone from Pokémon Trainer to Wario, which is very different from the usual faces we usually see in Melee competitions.

Nintendo

Perhaps the biggest flex for Nintendo was unveiled this summer, after the release of Super Mario Maker 2 and Fire Emblem: Three houses. Free from the constraints of the Wii U, the Super Mario level building game has surpassed both YouTube and Twitch, with almost all the big names in the game trying out the game. The game's videos are becoming more and more viral. much because Mario is such an easy game to understand – and that multiplayer shenanigans are hilarious. Level creators also continue to keep the game up-to-date, thanks to a host of new mechanics that are not available in any other Mario game. Although I never beat a Kaizo level, it's fun to see experienced players use new things like tailor or car to make hardcore scenes.

Fire Emblem, meanwhile, is experiencing a total rebirth. As the franchise progressively moves away from hardcore tactics, it has doubled the character's construction aspect, transforming the role play into a school simulator. I spent more time getting to know my students than fighting and I would not have had that choice. The effect is that everything Three houses Notoriously easy, almost everyone I know likes it anyway. This helps the memes for the game have been out of this world.

When I do not play Three housesI'm probably going into a rabbit hole of Fire Emblem jokes on the Internet. One of my favorite things to do is just search for a random character on Twitter or Tumblr because everyone has a dedicated army of fanatics. Even the characters I did not like at first became favorites with the fandom. I have not seen anything like it since Overwatch, except Fire Emblem, does not just give players a simple remnant of history. The history and interaction between all the different characters is the whole point. Three houses do everything in their power to make sure that it will hurt when you have to kill old allies later in the game. It's so effective that even though the world informs me that there are a number of cool new games that I should try, it's hard to get away from Emblem of fire.

Even older games with zero new content are alive and well in 2019. Following the announcement of Breath of nature 2, many people chose the first backup game. Many have probably never finished, and now had a good excuse to go back. Others, meanwhile, were curious to explore already existing clues that could give us an idea of ​​the next step of the franchise. Mostly, Breath of nature carries the distinction of being a game "forever", much like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Skyrim. You can choose any of these titles now, after spending them for endless hours in the past, while finding something interesting to explore. Indeed, there is a class of Breath of nature players who seem to turn on the game almost every day, somehow again find things that no one has ever seen before, like riding Sidon everywhere.

The wildest thing about all this is that Nintendo has not finished. Astral chain, PlatinumGames' new sleek action game, did not come out for a few days – and we already know it's great. Despite the controversy, Pokémon Sword and Shield Keep enjoying each new monster revealed by Game Freak. the Link's Awakening remake looks like the cutest thing in the world, and I'm curious to see Luigi's Mansion 3 go back to the roots of the franchise. I'm surprised to admit that even a game Mario and Sonic excited me with the ridiculous and stupid images that have been published so far.

Unwittingly, 2019 has become the year of the Nintendo Switch – and I enjoy seeing Nintendo again at the top of its form.