Soapbox features allow our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random things they’ve been chewing on. Today, Gavin takes a look at some hot shots from 2022 and instantly transforms into that confused John C. Reilly gif…
As a Nintendo-centric site, we’re naturally going to be more positive about Nintendo than, you know, else Web pages. We’re hiring Nintendo enthusiasts, and as fans with a long history of following and enjoying the company’s products, Nintendo games and hardware will appeal to us. That doesn’t stop us from occasionally being disappointed or downright angry when it comes to some of the platformer’s confusing choices — often the missteps make us even more annoyed! — but just as you’d expect PlayStation and Xbox sites to rave about Sony and Microsoft’s #content, we’re loving some Switch games around here. Crazy, huh?
And there were so many during the last year! We’ve managed to review more than 300 of them in 2022, and there are still plenty of great-looking ones that we’ve unfortunately had to pass up. It seemed like a wall-to-wall packed year for me, so I was a little confused to see headlines like “Without Pokémon, 2022 would be a sad year for the Switch‘and’2022 flops: The Nintendo Switch has really shown its age‘ when year-end recaps started appearing on the gaming web in December.
That’s not to say that the premise of articles like the ones above isn’t understandable, and many other commenters shared similar sentiments. Of course, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Scarlet, and Violet were huge hits, and yes, the hardware is already running out — we’re getting close sixth
Let’s take Pokémon out of the equation for a moment. That leaves a top list that includes Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Splatoon 3, Nintendo Switch Sports, and Mario Strikers: Battle League. Nintendo also published Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, Bayonetta 3, and Square Enix developed Triangle Strategy and Live A Live. Say what you like about the individual games in that line – and discount the latter ones that weren’t developed in-house if you want – but it’s an eclectic bunch of software packed to the brim with quality. And that’s completely ignoring all the games published by third parties, of which there were many. At the time of writing, Scarlet and Violet didn’t even make the top 50 on our list of the best Switch games of 2022, as ranked by readers.
No, 2022 didn’t bring a brand new Mario or Zelda, but with Tears of the Kingdom taking a little more time in the oven, it was Pokémon’s turn to prop up Nintendo’s marquee release schedule this year. Saying the year was a disappointment if you don’t like Pokémon is like saying the PS5 would have been worse if it weren’t for Sony’s big exclusives. ‘Beige Horizon AND God of war, 2022 would be sad for the PS5.’ Um, yes? Is it time for another? The last of us reissue yet? And did Microsoft issue anything in 2022!? ‘Without Game Pass, 2022 would be Boo Boo for Xbox.’
Maybe it’s just me. With little kids soaking up my free time like a couple of cute, incredibly expensive super sponges, I don’t play games 24/7 like I used to, and the Switch fits my lifestyle a lot. 200 hours from An older ringthe most obvious jewel in 2022’s crown that Switch players have been denied, is simply not an option right now.
I also absolutely understand that for anyone who’s already bought and played elsewhere the excellent ports the Switch has received — Persona 5s (finally!), NieR: Automatas , No Man’s Skys , and the like — the choices have been a little slimmer. But I’d still argue that the sheer variety of games coming to Switch in 2022, old and new, exclusives and otherwise, was sensational. There was an absolute treasure trove of titles to enjoy. There’s nothing wrong with playing only the genre you want, or buying a system just to play a certain series like, say, Call of duty
With the Switch showing its age, it’s been an issue since 2017. Almost from the start, we’ve seen calls for updated hardware with a little more power to better run bigger games. Yes, it would be great to see more titles hitting their framerate and resolution targets more regularly, and new hardware is certainly on the horizon over the next year or so, but as the platform matures, developers are getting better at getting the best out of it, that’s for sure was evident in 2022. We’ll see calls from developers for Microsoft to stop making it harder for more powerful consoles by making support for the lower-spec Xbox Series S mandatory, so it’s odd to single out the Switch when its limitations are so well-documented and when 30fps caps started popping up for big-name games on the PS5 and Xbox (looking at you, Gotham Knights). And so many Switch games—against the odds, as always—had great results!
Apologies if this sounds like a ‘rant’, but it honestly baffles me to see gamers and YouTubers labeling 2022 as a failure for Switch owners. Think “Only three Marvel movies out, what a terrible year for cinema” headline. Same energy! Every month brought me a new wave of must-plays. I’m not going to bring up comparisons to The Lean Wii U Years™ or the convenience of handheld play or the pricing of first-party titles versus the competition because none of that is really relevant. In terms of quality games launching in 2022, pound for pound, I’d say the Switch easily held its own against the PS5 and Xbox.
With Nintendo likely shifting internal resources and attention to its next console and prioritizing its first-party software release schedule to replicate the once-a-month rhythm that did the Switch so well in its launch year, it’s likely that 2023 would be a similarly ‘quiet’ year, with Zelda: TOTK doing the heavy lifting for the current system. I’ll be looking forward to new hardware revelations, just like any other Nintendo fan, but we shouldn’t let the lack of hot ‘Switch Pro’ or ‘Switch 2’ announcements or the delay of a highly anticipated game cast a shadow over a really great year.
So will we see similar ‘No Zelda…’ titles in December? Probably. Here’s hoping 2023 is as disappointing for the Switch as 2022 was.
What do you think? Was 2022 a sad year saved only by Pokémon? Let Gavin know if he should quit the crazy pills by voting in the poll below and leaving a comment if the fancy takes you.
And be sure to have a happy New Year!
