Nintendo Switch Games - ranked by preference

Release Date: March 3, 2017 (NA)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Adventure

This is the type of game that you want when you release new hardware - Breath of the Wild broke records with the number of perfect scores that it received, and with good reason...it deserves it. This entry in the Legend of Zelda series is one of the greatest games that I have ever played, and even if every other game that comes out for the Switch turns out to be terrible, Breath of the Wild is still worth paying for the system on its own...Especially since the Switch is a glorified handheld system, meaning that one of the greatest games that I've ever played can be played anywhere I feel like taking it.

Release Date: April 28, 2017 (NA)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Racing - Kart

Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U was one of my favorite entries in the Mario Kart franchise. So, to see it re-released on the Switch, with all DLC included on the game card and to be able to play it on the go (or on the can) made me quite happy. It was a joy to play through this again, and it'll be fun playing it on my next plane trip...It might even make anti-social me invite the passender next to me to a two-player game. Look at that! Mario Kart has the potential to make me a social butterfly! Who knew?

Release Date: March 3, 2017 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sonic Team
Genre: Puzzle

I absolutely LOVE the Puyo Puyo franchise...and I like Tetris, too. I've always been a bit of a puzzle game nerd....However, I didn't realize how lop-sided my skills were between these two games until I played Puyo Puyo Tetris and dominated any levels with Puyo Puyo and struggled to pass levels with head-to-head Tetris. My Tetris skills aren't bad by any means - I won a Tetris tournament a few years ago at a gaming convention in the area...But for whatever reason, I really struggled to pick up wins when forced to play with Tetris blocks...Then the next level would be Puyo Puyo (or a mix) and I would absolutely dominate. Anyway, this is an extremely well done game and I highly recommend it for any puzzle game junkie. The story mode will last you a while, then the multiplayer will keep you coming back for more.

Release Date: March 17, 2017 (NA)
Publisher: Nicalis
Developer: Edmund McMillen
Genre: Shooter - 3rd Person

As someone who has played all iterations of the Binding of Isaac games, Afterbirth+ is the best of the bunch. With enough new stuff to discover like enemies, power-ups, modes, and playable characters, even if you've played the other Binding of Isaac games until you were sick of them, you'll find plenty of reasons for this game to lure you back to mother's womb. Most of the game will be familiar to veterans of the series, but with enough new content to make it feel like it's not just "more of the same," it's well worth a purchase for anyone familiar with Isaac's tear-filled battle.

Release Date: May 26, 2017 (NA)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting

I was really excited for Ultra Street Fighter II...and while I'm not necessarily disappointed with what this game delivered, it shows how far we've come in terms of what we expect out of game content. If Ultra Street Fighter II was released back in '96 or '97, this would have been absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, a fighting game without a lot of modes beyond an "Arcade mode" these days is kind of a disappointment. Also the two new characters to the Street Fighter II games, Evil Ryu and Violent Ken, aren't new characters in terms of other games...and since they're just alternate versions of characters already in the game, I felt that they were a letdown. Including a few characters from the first Street Fighter, Street Fighter III or IV, the Alpha and EX series...anything else would have been more exciting for this player. But anyway, lack of modes aside, the actual combat is just as enjoyable as it always was, so if nothing else, Ultra Street Fighter II provides a nice trip down memory lane.

Release Date: March 3, 2017 (NA)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Action

I'm a Bomberman fan. Most recently, I absolutely loved Bomberman Ultra on the Playstation 3, so I was hoping for more of the same here from Super Bomberman R...Unfortunately, what I got was a major disappointment. Whether it be the weak online battles, the unlikeable levels, or the boring story mode, Super Bomberman R never made me feel like I was having any fun. Don't get me wrong, Super Bomberman R is a passable game...But with great games in the past like Saturn Bomberman and Bomberman Online...this just feels like a giant step backward in the Bomberman series.