In 2018, Nintendo Switch’s best game was undoubtedly Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Nintendo Switch’s second year on the market simply didn’t have as stellar a line-up as the first one. There wasn’t a cavalcade of first party titles in 2018, though, with Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2 and even great third party titles, like Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, releasing in 2017. However, the Switch still did pretty well for itself, proving that Nintendo’s success wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
All this is to say that the competition for best Nintendo Switch of 2018 isn’t too fierce. There are a few factors for this state of affairs. Some of the best games released in 2018 for Switch were either excellent ports of Wii U games (like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze) or were smaller indie games that can be found on platforms other than Switch (like GRIS). Perhaps the biggest reason that there’s not much discussion about the best Switch game is because the title that earns the distinction is so fun and so uniquely Nintendo that no other game had a shot. The best Switch game of 2018 is Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
Since it’s one of Nintendo’s longest running series, the release of a new Super Smash Bros. game is always a source of excitement. With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, though, Nintendo did things right by announcing the game early in the year and spending most of 2018 slowly releasing information. Whether it was the reveal that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would have every Smash character ever or fretting over Luigi’s mortality, the hype preceding Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s release was nearly as enjoyable as the game itself. The keyword being “nearly,” because Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is, bar none, the best Super Smash Bros. game of all-time.
The roster for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is its greatest feature. Having every character from the franchise’s past, even useless fighters like Pichu, involved, alongside long requested fan-favorites like Ridley and King K. Rool, is extraordinary. Super Smash Bros. has always been an incredible gaming crossover but Super Smash Bros. Ultimate pulls out all the stops. The novelty of watching Cloud from Final Fantasy VII getting exploded by grenade from Metal Gear’s Solid Snake never gets old.
What’s even more incredible is how well every single one of those characters plays and control. The platforming fighting has been refined to such an incredible detail. There’s something for everyone in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The game lends itself perfectly to hardcore 1v1 matches, with no items on flat stages or the insanity that is 8-player brawls on scrolling 2D stages. Newcomers and longtime fans alike can find something to latch onto in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This level of access applies to the game’s modes as well. Between the RPG-like experience in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s World of Light and the tons of options for very specific multiplayer matches, the game has hours of entertainment for single or multiplayer-skewing Smashers. This level of accessibility and variety is incredible.
It was lofty goal when Nintendo Switch’s Super Smash Bros. game revealed its name as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The “ultimate” Smash is a lot to live up to and deliver upon. Nintendo more than delivered, though. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate isn’t just the best Nintendo Switch game of 2018; it’s a must-play for anyone who has ever even thought of owning a Nintendo Switch.
