Your family fought the good fight and got you a Switch. First things first: thank them. Go ahead, give them a big smile and a hug. Great! Okay! Time to get to gaming. We've included all the must-have games below along with a couple additional recommendations for when you want even more. These should last you a while and make the most use of your brand new Switch.
We've rounded up our favorite and most-used apps and utilities for the technology we use every day. Check out our other picks for iPhones, Android phones, PCs, and Macs. We've also listed our favorite games for iOS and Android from this year.
Super Mario Odyssey
Mario's back with... a sentient hat? Sure. You'll travel the globe with Mario, visit faraway lands, and attempt to save Princess Peach. Your trusty hat, Cappy, adds a new dimension to the game in which you can possess various characters and take control of their bodies. Yes, you can become a T-rex. While the story's fun to play, definitely take your time exploring these worlds. They're gorgeously designed and include lots of hidden nooks and crannies you'll need to find to collect all the moons.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Settle in because this game is going to take some time. As Link, you'll traverse a sprawling map and poke around at things to figure out how they work. You'll set off on various quests, like one to uncover shrines using only poetry and riddles. The game is fairly open, so it's up to you to define your path forward.
Snipperclips
Snipperclips was one of the few games released at the Switch's launch. It's ideal for multiple players, as you'll work together to cut out shapes and solve various puzzles. This might be the best game if you want to spend time with your family. The game also now has an expansion pack — Snipperclips Plus — that adds two new worlds to explore and 30 more puzzles to solve.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
You know about Mario Kart. We all do, but now it's on the Switch. Yippee. This new version includes a few changes: you can hold two items at once; nearly all characters and race tracks are unlocked from the start; and there are multiple new battle modes. One mode, called "renegade roundup,” gives each player a chomping piranha plant with the goal being to snap up as many members of the opposing team as possible. This won't necessarily foster goodwill in your family, but some light competition is fine.
Stardew Valley
Are you ready to become a farmer? Now's your time. Stardew Valley is structured as series of days. Every day, you have some time to do whatever you want. You can plant and water crops, clear out your overgrown plot of land, or venture into town to go shopping or make friends. Certain days bring with them special occasions, like the spring egg festival, but otherwise your schedule is mostly left to you. This is a supremely chill game that you can play while doing something else, like maybe watching a Christmas movie for the thousandth time.
Splatoon 2
This multiplayer shooter game is like a cross between Call of Duty, paintball, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater graffiti mode. You fire paint instead of bullets and reload by swimming through colorful goop. Weapons include squirt guns, paint rollers, buckets, and massive brushes. Each match drops players into an urban arena, with the goal being to paint as much of the stage in your team’s color as possible before time runs out. The game just got an update in November to include new clothing, hairstyles, and maps.
You might also like...
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, a strategy game where you plan out moves to defeat the Rabbids.
Arms, where you have extendable arms that you'll use to take down an opponent.
Nintendo Switch has performed better than anybody could have expected, as Nintendo increases its annual sales forecasts to a whopping 14 million.
To put that into context, that's more than the Wii U sold in its entire lifetime.
In fact, if things continue at this rate, the Nintendo Switch will outperform the original Wii, and could overtake the PS4 in Japan by the end of next year.
And it's no surprise when you look at some of the incredible games Nintendo has released so far this year.
The launch lineup may have been lean, but it did include game of the year contender The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
And if Zelda doesn't win game of the year, it will only be because the magnificent Super Mario Odyssey is marginally better.
Then there are third-party blockbusters like Doom, not to mention addictive indie classics like Stardew Valley.
Check out the gallery below for a list of the Nintendo Switch games you MUST buy...
These are the must-have Nintendo Switch accessories you need
Nintendo Switch sales are already up to 10 million, and that's not including all those extra units sold at Christmas.
If you're a new Nintendo Switch owner, then Express Online has picked out a selection of must-have extras for you to buy in the sales.
Arguably the most important of the lot is a carry case, which lets you make the most out of the console's portability factor.
You'll also want a screen protector to stop your console from picking up scratches, and additional chargers are useful for keeping your Switch powered up on the move.
A second Joy-Con is also ideal, while Pro Controllers are perfect for gaming ports like Doom.
You can see the full list of must-have Nintendo Switch accessories in the gallery below...
Both Sony's PlayStation Network and Nintendo's Eshop online services are currently suffering outages. The timing of these isn't ideal, given that it's Christmas day and many new PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch owners are likely trying to connect to the services to redeem or play games.
Sony has acknowledged the issues on Twitter, saying it is "aware that some users are having issues redeeming vouchers on PSN." However, reports from Twitter users trying to play their PS4s suggest the issues extend beyond just the ability to redeem vouchers, and that people are having trouble connecting to the online service as a whole.
Nintendo, meanwhile, has also said it is working on addressing connection issues some people are having. "We apologize for any issues you may be experiencing with Nintendo eShop," it said in a tweet. "We are working on it and hope to have this resolved soon."
While various members of the GameSpot staff have encountered some outage today with both services, the PlayStation Network and Nintendo eShop seem to have largely recovered and, currently, the earlier issues have smoothed out. Those having trouble connecting to the PlayStation Network or Eshop should give it a little time and it will no doubt sort itself out. There's probably lots of turkey and stuffing for you to eat in the mean time.
This downtime is nothing compared to the nightmarish scenario from December 2014, when both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network were hacked and unavailable for considerable amounts of time. Thankfully, it doesn't look like we have a repeat of that right now.
