I'm not adjacent going to notation this 1 below, but this was another large 2022 crippled — Image: Gemma Smith / Nintendo Life

Soapbox features alteration our idiosyncratic writers and contributors to dependable their opinions connected blistery topics and random worldly they've been chewing over. Today, Gavin glances astatine immoderate blistery 2022 takes and instantly transforms into that confuddled John C. Reilly gif...

As a Nintendo-focused site, we're people going to beryllium much Nintendo-positive than, you know, other websites. We're staffed with Nintendo enthusiasts, and arsenic fans with a agelong past of covering and enjoying the company's output, Nintendo games and hardware are going to resonate with us. That doesn't halt america being disappointed oregon downright aggravated connected juncture erstwhile it comes to immoderate of the level holder's much perplexing choices — often the missteps upwind america up each the more! — but conscionable arsenic you'd expect PlayStation and Xbox sites to beryllium enthusiastic astir Sony and Microsoft's #content, present we similar america immoderate Switch games. Crazy, huh?

And determination person been truthful galore implicit the past year! We've managed to review good implicit 300 of them successful 2022 and determination are plentifulness much great-looking ones we had to walk over, unfortunately. To me, it felt similar a packed twelvemonth of wall-to-wall belters, truthful I was a small confused to spot headlines specified arsenic 'Without Pokémon, 2022 Would Have Been A Sad Year For Switch' and 'Fails of 2022: the Nintendo Switch truly showed its age' erstwhile the end-of-year recaps started popping up crossed the gaming web successful December.

That's not to accidental the premise of articles similar those supra isn't understandable, and plentifulness of different commentators shared akin sentiments. Sure, Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Scarlet and Violet were the large hitters, and yes, the hardware is getting agelong successful the bony — we are approaching the extremity of its sixth afloat twelvemonth connected store shelves, aft all. However, arsenic overmuch arsenic it mightiness beryllium the astir evident happening successful the satellite to spot Nintendo Life 'defending the honour' of a Nintendo console, those arguments consciousness unusual to maine fixed the superb games we've each enjoyed successful 2022.

Let's, for a moment, region Pokémon from the equation. That leaves a first-party slate that includes Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Splatoon 3, Nintendo Switch Sports, and Mario Strikers: Battle League. Nintendo besides published Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, Bayonetta 3, and the Square Enix-developed Triangle Strategy and Live A Live. Say what you similar astir idiosyncratic games successful that lineup — and bin the second ones which weren't developed in-house if you similar — but that is an eclectic clump of bundle stuffed to the brim with quality. And that's wholly ignoring each the third-party-published games, of which determination were many. At the clip of writing, Scarlet and Violet didn't adjacent marque the apical 50 successful our reader-ranked Best Switch Games Of 2022 list.

Indies, truthful galore indies — Image: Gemma Smith / Nintendo Life

No, 2022 didn't bring a marque caller Mario oregon Zelda, but with Tears of the Kingdom needing a small much clip successful the oven, it was Pokémon's crook to prop up Nintendo's merchandise docket with the year's tentpoles. To accidental the twelvemonth was a disappointment if you don't similar Pokémon is similar saying PS5 would person had a downer if not for Sony’s large exclusives. 'Without Horizon And God Of War, 2022 Would Have Been Sad For PS5.' Erm, yes? Is it clip for different Last of Us re-release yet? And did Microsoft merchandise anything successful 2022!? 'Without Game Pass, 2022 Would Have Been A Boo Boo For Xbox.'

Perhaps it’s conscionable me. With young kids soaking up my escaped clip similar a mates of cute, incredibly costly ace sponges, I'm not gaming 24/7 similar I utilized to, and Switch suits my manner to a tee. 200 hours of Elden Ring, the astir evident jewel successful 2022's crown that Switch gamers were denied, simply isn't an enactment astatine the moment.

I besides perfectly recognize that for anyone who had already bought and played elsewhere the fantabulous ports Switch received — the Persona 5s (finally!), the NieR: Automatas, the No Man’s Skys, and the similar — pickings were a small slimmer. But I would inactive reason that the sheer assortment of games that came to Switch successful 2022, aged and caller alike, exclusive and otherwise, was sensational. There was conscionable an implicit trove of titles to enjoy. There's thing incorrect with lone playing your preferred genre oregon buying a strategy conscionable to play a circumstantial bid like, say, Call of Duty oregon FIFA (in which lawsuit Switch is decidedly not the console for you!), but I conflict to recognize however anyone who loves video games could telephone past twelvemonth a disappointing 1 for the system. Even if we nuked the Pokémons for argument's sake.

On the number of the Switch showing its age, that's been an contented since 2017. From astir the precise opening we've seen calls for updated hardware with a spot much powerfulness to tally bigger games better. Yes, it would beryllium large to spot much titles hitting framework complaint and solution targets much regularly, and caller hardware is surely connected the skyline implicit the adjacent twelvemonth oregon so, but arsenic a level matures, developers get correspondingly amended astatine squeezing the precise champion from it, and that was surely successful grounds successful 2022. We're seeing calls from devs for Microsoft to halt hamstringing the much almighty consoles by making enactment for the lower-specced Xbox Series S mandatory, truthful it feels unusual to azygous retired Switch erstwhile its limitations are truthful well-documented and 30fps caps person begun appearing for big-name games connected PS5 and Xbox (looking astatine you, Gotham Knights). And truthful galore Switch games — against the odds, arsenic ever — performed excellently!

Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life

Apologies if this comes crossed arsenic 'ranty', but it conscionable honestly perplexed maine to spot gamers and YouTubers labelling 2022 a dud for Switch owners. Imagine 'Only Three Marvel Movies Came Out, What A Terrible Year For Cinema’ arsenic a headline. Same energy! Every period brought a caller question of must-plays for me. I'm not going to trot retired comparisons with The Lean Wii U Years™ oregon the convenience of handheld play oregon the pricing of first-party titles versus the contention due to the fact that nary of that is truly relevant. In presumption of prime games that launched successful 2022, lb for pound, I'd reason that Switch easy held its ain against PS5 and Xbox.

With Nintendo apt having shifted interior resources and attraction to its adjacent console and prioritising a first-party bundle merchandise docket to echo the once-a-month cadence that stood Switch successful specified bully stead successful its motorboat year, the likelihood is that 2023 could beryllium a likewise 'quiet' year, with Zelda: TOTK doing the dense lifting for the existent system. I'll beryllium looking guardant to caller hardware reveals on with each different Nintendo instrumentality retired there, but we shouldn't fto the deficiency of blistery 'Switch Pro' oregon 'Switch 2' announcements oregon the hold of a much-anticipated crippled formed a shadiness connected what was a truly fantabulous year.

Will we beryllium seeing akin 'Without Zelda...' headlines successful December, then? Probably. Here's hoping 2023 turns retired to beryllium arsenic wonderfully disappointing connected Switch arsenic 2022.

What bash you think? Was 2022 a bittersweet twelvemonth saved lone by Pokémon? Let Gavin cognize if helium should laic disconnected the brainsick pills by voting successful the canvass beneath and leaving a remark if the fancy takes you.

And beryllium definite to person a Happy New Year, too!