Switch Must-Owns for an Old, Old Person?

[dvertov 177]

I'm turning 40 next month and instead of a zippy sports car my wife has agreed to let me get a Switch. What are some must-own games for a near-geriatric man just starting out with the console?

One qualifier: These days I tend to like games that are easy to jump into, mainly because I don't have a dozen hours to put into learning a game with complex mechanics. Metroidvanias, shmups, and arcade-style games are my go-tos, but my favorites tend to be quirky, one-of-a-kind indie titles that don't really fit into a single category. I love and respect RPGs but no longer have time for them. Any advice helps. Thanks, all!

[RH 4,079]

Wii Sports

Edited November 6, 2019 by RH

[MrWunderful 2,609]

Tons of metroidvanias, all perfect for what you want. 
 

celeste

Iconoclasts

dead cells

bloodstained

axiom

[Splain 1,998]

I say you have to play Zelda and Mario. Great experiences that any Switch owner should have. Worth getting into the complexity.

Indies that I enjoyed include Yoku's Island Express, Golf Story, and Celeste. I've heard tons of good things about Hollow Knight, which I understand to be a Metroidvania, but I don't know anything else about it.

[SoleGoose 87]

One nice thing about the Switch is sleep mode, so if you are itching to play an RPG you can play it at your own pace. No searching for save points, and you can even switch it off in the middle of a large narrative section. I dislike that at times, because it often doesn't feel like I can get into a game as much, but it is darn convenient for those periods in between an afternoon binge session. A quick twenty minutes before bed eventually builds into a grand epic.

[DoctorEncore 3,563]

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is absolutely awesome. One of the best modern platformers on any platform and it has amazing music. It can be surprisingly tough, but there's an easy mode character if you need a little help or just get frustrated.

[Ninja Warriors 86]

22 minutes ago, DoctorEncore said:

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is absolutely awesome. One of the best modern platformers on any platform and it has amazing music. It can be surprisingly tough, but there's an easy mode character if you need a little help or just get frustrated.

Love this game!!  You should receive a reward if you can beat Bopopolis Level 2k in less than 20 tries.

[empire 106]

I'd get the sports car instead to be honest 

[Ninja Warriors 86]

And Ninja Saviors is an AWESOME beatemup for the switch that just recently  came out.

[dvertov 177]

Thanks all for the suggestions! I'll probably start with Celeste and Bloodstained since those look right up my alley, and Axiom Verge has been on my must-play list for years. Ninja Saviors looks fun -- kind of reminds me of a TurboGrafx beat 'em up game.

3 hours ago, RH said:

Wii Sports

Coincidentally, just about a week ago I played Wii Sports Tennis for the first time in 10 years. My elbow still hurts. 

[guillavoie 1,138]

You might want to check out Golf Story, if you like golf games naturally (since you're so old, you should like golf, right?). Nice indie game, easy to to get into, some simple golf mechanics with RPG elements (quite unique in that sense), good pace between main and side quests, chillin music. Also welcome

[Tanooki 4,581]

I'd suggest (sadly it's digital only) both Blaster Master 0 games, a crime they're not on media.  Also Cave Story + would be a great one that's not super long but plays well and has some leveling elements and sotn-ish stage layout to the map too.  A short but fun JRPG would be I Am Setuna from Square-Enix which would be worthwhile too.  I'm in the same boat, I want to do more, but life, kids, crap...wears you out, leaves you mostly with just evenings if it's not phone touch stuff so the hours are limited.  Stuff like that you'll get some value from.

I wouldn't skip on Breath of the Wild or Mario either.  Zelda there maybe huge but you get sucked in and can be fine playing 15min or 3 hours so it's safe to stay awhile, and Mario it's still the usual 3D bite sized stuff but even more readily easy in a short time to get icons (moons in this case) to progress the game so it would fit the schedule too.

[fox 1,424]

Hollow Knight
Cuphead
Blazing Chrome
Celeste
River City Girls
Shovel Knight
Inside
Hyper Light Drifter

[Galdius 1,325]

I was going to recommend Celeste but since you'll play it already, another good one is Super Mario Odyssey.

Its mechanics aren't complicated and you can play it in a more arcade style. Since there are so many moons to get, it's easy to play in short bursts.
And if you want to just beat the main campaign it will only take around 12h.

[cj_robot 442]

40 is old?

 

I'm actually in this same exact situation so this thread helped me out as well haha

[arnpoly 178]

As far as quirky, one-off indie titles go, I highly recommend Minit.

Also nice to see another VGS'er in my geographic area!

[SoleGoose 87]

Just now, arnpoly said:

As far as quirky, one-off indie titles go, I highly recommend Minit.

...

 

I've been waiting to play this, it looks amazing. I've never played one of these games designed for quick bursts, but the art style has me hooked already.

 

[BriGuy82 676]

14 hours ago, dvertov said:

I'm turning 40 next month and instead of a zippy sports car my wife has agreed to let me get a Switch. What are some must-own games for a near-geriatric man just starting out with the console?

My wife bought me a switch for my 35th birthday. It didn't take too long for her resentment to kick in.

[phart010 1,591]

I made a thread called Switch games for Retro lovers on NA. I should bring that over here

[Teh_Lurv 242]

You mention arcade-style games, there are quite a number of arcade ports on the Switch under the Sega Ages, Johnny Turbo Arcade (Data East), & Arcade Archive (Nintendo, Taito, SNK, etc) series. Konami also put out earlier this year a Konami Arcade Collection.

Since you're a newly minted old man and prefer pick up and play style gaming, you might find holding the switch in handheld mode to be potentially uncomfortable over extended periods (I know I do!) I use a grip accessory from Satisfye that helps take the strain off my hands. The grip is the only one I know of that is asymmetrical, with the right grip slightly larger so your thumb rests on the right stick like an Xbox or PS4 controller. 

[dvertov 177]

12 hours ago, Tanooki said:

I'd suggest (sadly it's digital only) both Blaster Master 0 games, a crime they're not on media.  Also Cave Story + would be a great one that's not super long but plays well and has some leveling elements and sotn-ish stage layout to the map too. 

I'd read about those Blaster Master games but had forgotten about them. That's always been a game I've wanted to like, so I will definitely try this out. I played through Cave Story+ a few years ago and loved it!

1 hour ago, Teh_Lurv said:

Since you're a newly minted old man and prefer pick up and play style gaming, you might find holding the switch in handheld mode to be potentially uncomfortable over extended periods (I know I do!) I use a grip accessory from Satisfye that helps take the strain off my hands. 

This is great advice, thanks. I do occasionally get hand cramps from smaller controllers, so this is something I've been wondering about.