3) Super Mario Odyssey
Thankfully, history hasn’t repeated itself for Nintendo. The ill-fated Wii U, which now rests in the annals of video game history as one of the industry’s biggest hardware failures, is, and will always be, a black mark on an otherwise near-spotless record of success for the Big N. But now, after several disappointing years, the famed Japanese company, as well as its millions of customers, have reason to celebrate.
After what felt like an eternity of guessing games, rampant speculation and endless rumors, the Switch finally made it to retail earlier this year, greeted not by confusion or indifference, but excitement and wonder. Never one to follow the trend, Ninty left Sony and Microsoft to their battle of sheer power and instead opted to do its own thing, the result being a hybrid device that, besides looking remarkably slick, made the advent of owning new hardware, dare we say it, a novelty once more.
The strong start has helped to secure the Switch as a long-lasting piece of kit, and while it experienced a wobbly few months in terms of first-party support, Ninty has clearly learned from past mistakes. The promise of a new Mario title before the year is out has no doubt helped the console’s fortunes, not least because it looks set to be another fun-filled adventure for the Italian plumber.
Billed as a return to the open-ended, exploration-based formula that contributed to Super Mario 64 receiving instant classic status, what we’ve seen so far of Super Mario Odyssey alludes to the arrival of a true must-have exclusive for every Switch owner. Lofty aspirations, they may be, but if Odyssey can replicate even an ounce of the magic that its forebear had in spades, we’re in for a treat come October.
