Top Nintendo Switch Games 2023

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the series' first real step into 3D action, and the game deftly makes the transition with its many challenges and secrets. However, there's less ambition on display than you might expect.

Windjammers 2 is a worthy sequel to a retro classic that manages to improve upon the highly competitive arena with new characters, levels, and abilities that make this fighting game version of Pong incredibly addictive. It lacks some key features like a spectator mode or any kind of tutorial to walk new players through all the complexities of combat and makes a limp attempt at telling a story about its characters, but it’s so much fun to play that it’s easy to forgive those whiffs.

The folks at Yacht Club Games continue their streak of hits when it comes to Shovel Knight. As a puzzle game Pocket Dungeon treads familiar ground, but does so in a way that feels completely unique, whether as a fan of Shovel Knight, roguelites, or block-falling games. Some of the roguelite elements feel underdeveloped, and an online versus mode really would have pushed it over the top, but even with those minor shortcomings, this is yet another excellent entry in the world of Shovel Knight.

Just Dance 2022 isn’t filled with flashy new mechanics or game-changing improvements. But with a host of catchy new songs, Just Dance 2022 is an exciting continuation of the successful rhythm series.

More than a nostalgic joke, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a genuinely fantastic cartoon fighting game just slightly marred by unpolished presentation.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania combines 300 stages from Super Monkey Ball, Super Monkey Ball 2, and Super Monkey Ball Deluxe into a single, massive package of entertaining and occasionally sadistic ball-rolling action.

With a fresh focus on unique characters and multiplayer mayhem, WarioWare: Get It Together finds room for even more creativity in an already one-of-a-kind series.

Series newcomers must adapt to its many idiosyncrasies, but No More Heroes III successfully resurrects Suda51's decade-old, hack-and-slash cult hit.

Monster Hunter Stories 2 sits at the intersection of the Monster Hunter series' action and the JRPG genre's turn-based battles, and will please fans of both.

Minor oversights and frustrations certainly wore away at me over the 80+ hours I spent with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin -- during its campaign and beyond -- but the journey was well worth taking despite the frequent grains of sand in my shoe. Its mercifully free, gacha-like monster hatching loop is always exciting, and its combat and customization are both accessible but still intricate and rewarding. Its story is enjoyable if a bit cliche, but exploring this gorgeous world from the backs of my favorite monsters is an absolute delight.