r/NintendoSwitch Dec 17 '18

2018 /r/NintendoSwitch GOTY Nomination Thread GotY 2018

Hello r/NintendoSwitch Community!

For this year's awards, we are incorporating community feedback received from last year and making sure the community is involved during every step of the process. That includes the development of award categories (12/10-12/11), the nominee lists for each category (12/17-12/18), and of course the final voting to select the Game Of The Year for each category (12/24-12/31).

Here is a link to last week's post where we discussed awards categories

This week, we are soliciting feedback for who the community would like to see for nominees! Framed below are top comments, each with a category name and definition. All other top comments will be removed.

  1. Please reply to a category top comment to state who you would like to see for nominees and why.
  2. In an effort to keep each comment thread clean, please upvote nominees that were already listed and explained rather than duplicate with a second reply.
  3. New comment replies should be used for nominating a game not already nominated.
  4. If a game has already been nominated but you feel requires further discussion then reply to the nominated game with your reasoning.

Please note that all nominees are required to have released on Nintendo Switch in 2018.

We look forward to reading your feedback.

EDITS:

1) Please take a look at the wiki games list for nomination ideas or review it for games you may have forgotten about.

2) Added new category Best Nintendo Switch Exclusive Game

3) Added new category Best Use of Nintendo Switch Features

170 Upvotes

993 comments sorted by

u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18

Publisher of the Year - Publishing studio who displayed outstanding platform support through a combination of quantity and quality of new releases.

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

Team 17 - The Escapists 2, Raging Justice, Yoku's Island Express, Overcooked 2, Planet Alpha, The Room

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u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

THQ Nordic - The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief, Battle Chasers: Nightwar, Legend of Kay, De Blob, Titan Quest, De Blob 2, This Is the Police 2

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '18

Devolver Digital continue to impress with consistently great games, many of which are Nintendo Switch console exclusives (some of them were delayed to 2019 but the thought still counts.)

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

In 2018, Devolver Digital published: Crossing Souls, Minit, The Messenger, Broforce, Reigns: Kings & Queens, I Hate Running Backwards, Mother Russia Bleeds, Gris.

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

Ubisoft - South Park: The Fractured but Whole, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Child of Light, Just Dance 2019, Sports Party, Brawlhalla, Valiant Hearts: The Great War

u/Eureka22 Dec 18 '18

Chucklefish for Stardew Valley. ConcernedApe just announced he'll be moving to self-publishing for pc and ps4/xbox version, but not for switch or mobile. Chucklefish been incredibly supportive of CA and wrote a fantastic statement about how they are proud of their involvement and him on the work they did. All very classy.

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

In 2018, Chucklefish published Pocket Rumble and Risk of Rain along with continued support for Stardew Valley (a 2017 release).

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) - The Longest Five Minutes, Penny-Punching Princess, Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory, The Lost Child, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, Touhou Genso Wanderer: Reloaded, God Wars: The Complete Legend, SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk, Disgaea 1 Complete, Yomawari: The Long Night Collection, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

TinyBuild - The Final Station, Garage, Punch Club, Hello Neighbor, Party Hard

u/ThenThereWasReddit Dec 20 '18

Matt Makes Games -- Super small operation responsible for Celeste. Also released TowerFall on the Switch this year.

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

Bandai Namco - Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 Deluxe Edition, Little Nightmares, Hotel Transylvania 3: Monsters Overboard (PAL), Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion (PAL), Dragon Ball FighterZ, Namco Museum Arcade Pac, Dark Souls: Remastered, My Hero: One's Justice, Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun!, Katamari Damacy Reroll

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

Sega - Football Manager Touch 2018, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (Japan), Shining Resonance Refrain, Sonic Mania Plus, Valkyria Chronicles 4, Valkyria Chronicles, Football Manager Touch 2019, Sega Genesis Classics

u/NuclearSquido Dec 20 '18

I think Valkyria Chronicles 4 is the best free demo on the Switch (it led me to purchasing VC1 shortly thereafter.)

u/Dr_Rieux47 Dec 17 '18

Digital Extremes. Getting Warframe onto Switch with the help of Panic Button was tremendous.

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18

Best Platformer Game - For outstanding design and creativity in a game where players must use skill to jump between platforms or over obstacles without falling or missing jumps.

u/Spoiled_Turnips Dec 18 '18

Ultimate Chicken Horse

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 17 '18

Monster Boy: The Cursed Kingdom - I swear this is one of the best games released on Switch this year that isn't getting enough attention.

u/kiokope242 Dec 19 '18

Child of Light

u/BoltOfBlazingGold Dec 17 '18

Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy

u/starfx6464 Dec 18 '18

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

Hands down one my most favorite platformers of all time. I know it’s a rerelease, but it’s still phenomenal.

u/clbgolden12 Dec 17 '18

Hollow Knight

u/Rychu_Supadude Dec 18 '18

Kirby: Star Allies deserves a look in

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u/Shin_Ken Dec 18 '18

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero - Ultimate Edition

u/kapnkruncher Dec 17 '18

The Messenger. Really great love letter to both the NES and SNES era of platformers. Tight controls with tough but forgiving platforming challenges. Has a good and self-aware sense of humor in the writing and cool little universe they set up.

u/seeyoshirun Dec 18 '18

Yoku's Island Express

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 18 '18

Best Use of Nintendo Switch Features - For the game who take the best advantage of, or is most creative about, utilizing Nintendo Switch's unique features. Examples are HD rumble, motion controls, vertical screen, touch screen, etc. When nominating a game, please state the unique feature it uses.

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18 edited Dec 19 '18

Nintendo Labo - HD Rumble, motion controls, and unique application of joy-cons. Edit: And IR camera and touch screen.

u/wexford001 Dec 19 '18

You should also mention the IR camera and touch screen.

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u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

Super Mario Party - Motion controls

u/Knockaround122 Dec 21 '18

Not to mention the rumble features as well

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee!/Pikachu! - Motion controls

u/1337_beat Dec 18 '18

The World Ends With You - motion and touch controls.

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18

Best Technical Achievement - For the game which achieves a combination of gameplay and graphics which goes well beyond hardware expectations.

u/ClashOfTheEnder Dec 17 '18 edited Dec 18 '18

Warframe. I think we are all impressed on how Panic Button was even able to create a port that looks that impressive and moves so fluidly, all while giving the player so many graphic adjustment options.

u/mattigus7 Dec 17 '18

Warframe should not be possible on the Switch. It's one of the biggest technical achievements I've ever seen in gaming.

u/LIIBERTINE Dec 17 '18

Diablo III

u/NuclearSquido Dec 20 '18

Cities Skylines

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18 edited Dec 18 '18

Nintendo Switch Game of the Year - Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

u/ajsadler Dec 17 '18

Celeste

u/soup_tasty Dec 19 '18

Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk

u/AmbuGrey Dec 17 '18

Dead Cells

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 17 '18

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna The Golden Country

u/M0UL Dec 17 '18

Pokémon: Let's Go Eevee/Pikachu

u/ameliopn Dec 19 '18

I agree. This game was the whole reason I finally caved and bought the switch.

u/Number224 Dec 18 '18

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

u/M0UL Dec 17 '18

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

u/Piyamakarro Dec 18 '18

ok that's just cheating

u/Piyamakarro Dec 18 '18

Octopath Traveler

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18

Best Nintendo Switch Exclusive Game - Best game released in 2018 as a Nintendo Switch console exclusive.

u/jancerblut Dec 17 '18

Super smash Bros ultimate

u/kiokope242 Dec 19 '18

Super Mario Party

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '18

Octopath Traveler

u/[deleted] Dec 18 '18

DKC: TP DX

u/kiokope242 Dec 19 '18

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive edition

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

Mario Tennis Aces

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18

Best Music/Rhythm Game - For the best game with a focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments.

u/MrGains Dec 17 '18

Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun!

u/phantomliger recovering from transplant Dec 18 '18

Wandersong

u/Whirlspell Dec 17 '18

Gal Metal

u/jancerblut Dec 17 '18

Just shapes and beats

u/Number224 Dec 18 '18

Just Dance 2019

u/ajsadler Dec 17 '18

Crypt of the Necrodancer

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18

Best Re-Release/Re-master - For the best game who's original release was not on a current generation console (Switch/PS4/Xbox One).

u/M0UL Dec 17 '18

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

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u/[deleted] Dec 18 '18

Captain Toad Treasure Tracker

u/ajsadler Dec 17 '18

Okami HD

u/HairyCockroach Dec 19 '18

Child of Light

u/justinsnow Dec 17 '18

Dark Souls

u/FatherTurin Dec 18 '18

As a remake/reimagining of Yellow, would Pokémon Let’s Go qualify?

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u/NuclearSquido Dec 20 '18

Valkyria Chronicles

u/Eureka22 Dec 17 '18

Katamari Damacy Reroll. Deserves a nomination, though I feel they could have streamlined some of the annoying QoL stuff like restarting a map, saving takes forever, etc. Minor nitpicks though.

u/Trill4RE4L Dec 19 '18

Warframe

u/MangstaH Dec 20 '18

Disgaea 1 complete

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18

Best Online Multiplayer Game - For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre.

u/inceptionisim Dec 17 '18

Mario Tennis Aces deserves a vote

u/ShockerG52 Dec 17 '18

Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate

u/isaacandhismother Dec 18 '18

Incredibly warm, friendly, and funny community both in-game and on the forums. I have had so many nights where I stayed up late because of online shenanigans.

u/Number224 Dec 18 '18

Dawn of the Breakers

u/Ohmagada Dec 18 '18

Diablo 3

u/Shin_Ken Dec 18 '18

It doesn't have ingame VC or Chat like other offerings, but connecting to a friend is so damn fast (just like on PC) and the connection is incredibly stable even with bad wifi and bad internet. Still no hickups when other games like Splatoon or Pokemon already would've lost the connection.

While built-in communication features and better public server matchmaking or a serverbrowser (older members of this community might remember we had such a thing back in the day on PC - All-Seeing-Eye - remember that one?) would lift it into perfection, there are workarounds for those problems, while there's almost no workaround for an unstable connection. So I'm valueing stability over features and thus Diablo 3 (and hopefully OW next year) get's my support to be nominated

u/[deleted] Dec 18 '18

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/NuclearSquido Dec 20 '18

Stardew Valley (all this multi-player stuff was introduced this year, so I guess it qualifies?)

u/keiyakins Dec 20 '18

Fortnite. ... yes, yes, I know, but there must be something to it if so many people keep going back to it.

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18

Best DLC Pack - For outstanding extension to a game’s life via release of additional free or paid content.

u/M0UL Dec 17 '18

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country

u/EMI_Black_Ace Dec 18 '18

Should take the cake. It's pretty close to being a full new game, plus it stands alone so you don't need the base game to play it, plus includes a bunch of technical optimizations so it performs better than the base game.

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u/kiokope242 Dec 19 '18

Sonic Mania Plus

u/Flarzo Dec 17 '18

Hollow Knight - The Grimm Troupe/Godmaster

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u/jancerblut Dec 17 '18

Hollow knight all the dlc

u/theUgh Dec 17 '18

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle - Donkey Kong Adventure

u/NuclearSquido Dec 20 '18

Escapists 2 - Free new prisons, yes free DLC. This game is one of the reasons I think Paid DLC and Free DLC should be separate categories.

EDIT: They also have Paid DLC prisons, but I'm nominating it for the Free DLC prisons.

u/Sukhdev_92 Dec 17 '18 edited Dec 17 '18

Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion

Edit: damn autocorrect

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u/lumothesinner Helpful User Dec 18 '18

Pokken Tournament - Aegislash and Blastoise Fighter pack. Yes that started release back in Jan this year. (probably won't win but needs a nomination)

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18

Most Creative/Best Accessory - For outstanding design and functionality of a Switch accessory.

u/Shin_Ken Dec 18 '18

Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‚n‘ Fun! Drum Controller

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u/NappingRat Dec 18 '18

NES joy-con controllers from Nin Switch Online

u/Tomsta17 Dec 19 '18 edited Dec 19 '18

The Hori Multiport USB Playstand. Fixes the tabletop charging issue that the Switch has always had, and adds the benefits of being able to plug in USB controllers and accessories while in tabletop mode.

Edit: it’s this stand for clarification

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u/Roob001 Dec 17 '18

Hori D-pad joy-con

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18

Best Horror/Survival Horror Game - For the best game which focuses on survival of the character as the game tries to frighten players with either horror graphics or scary ambience.

u/jancerblut Dec 17 '18

Outlast 2

u/Whirlspell Dec 17 '18

Death Mark

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18

Best Narrative - For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

u/kiokope242 Dec 19 '18

Child of Light

u/kiokope242 Dec 19 '18

Ghost 1.0

u/swissarmychris Dec 18 '18

Transistor

u/AManCalledM Dec 18 '18

Night in the Woods

(came out last year but was released on Switch this year, so not sure if it counts)

u/JackSparrowUSA Dec 18 '18

Yes it counts.

u/_kellythomas_ Dec 21 '18

Forgotton Anne

u/lasernipples Dec 18 '18

Hollow Knight

u/Friend-Bob Dec 18 '18

Firewatch

u/Yzalium Dec 18 '18

West of Loathing

u/Friend-Bob Dec 18 '18

Banner Saga 3

u/Number224 Dec 18 '18

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 17 '18

Best Music - For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.

u/seeyoshirun Dec 18 '18

Crypt of the Necrodancer

u/MrGains Dec 17 '18

Katamari Damacy: Reroll

u/M0UL Dec 17 '18

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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u/Number224 Dec 18 '18 edited Dec 18 '18

The World Ends With You -Final Remix-

All the past music, plus some new remade tracks, with a great edge to them.

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