A Look Back on Nintendo Switch in 2019 (Part 2)

Last time, we focused on Nintendo's release schedule from the first half of the year. This time, we'll discuss and share our thoughts on what Nintendo released in the second half of 2019!

July
July was a decent month for Nintendo to kick off the second half of the year. The most notable release, of course, was Fire Emblem: Three houses, which was a hit for Fire Emblem fans. Having tried a Fire Emblem title in the past, we skipped this one as the series isn't for us. Fan should rejoice as the game was announced to be receiving DLC.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 was another release that seemed to get some good traction.
So apparently Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order was a big reveal at The Game Awards in 2018, but we don't really remember a time where this game got any spotlight. We haven't played it, haven't seen any gameplay, and frankly, don't even know what the game is about. That's not necessary a bad thing, we're just not a fan of the whole superhero craze going no now. But hey, if that's your thing, maybe this would be worthwhile picking up.
Smash ended up taking the cake in July, with the release of their second DLC character, Hero from DragonQuest. Having only touched DQ games and knowing little of the franchise, we can't really share too much on it, but from what nice little presentation Sakurai put on, we thought the character looked enjoyable. Pokemon Trainer, Pichu, and Isabelle all saw their respective amiibo released this month, too.

August
Having come off of a Bayonetta love affair, we were really excited to see Platinum Games' next IP, Astral Chain. Everything about this game looks awesome, but admittedly, we have yet to pick it up. The game released at the tail end of August, and as you're about to see, that didn't bode well with September's massive line up. If this released earlier in the month we likely would have picked it up, but we're very much interested in the game and will likely pick it up at a later date.

September
This was arguably the biggest month for Nintendo - and even video games in general - there really was something for everyone in September. Super Kirby Clash was a freemium eShop title released at the start of September, which has currently been downloaded over 4 million times.
Lego Jurassic World was announced to be coming to the Switch in August, and released in September. We only picked this game up on the PS4 only about a month or two before this was announced for the Switch. If we hadn't picked it up so soon it's very likely we would have double dipped for this title. Lego games are full of charm, and being able to play them on the go is a plus! Another port came to the Switch this month, being Spyro: Reignited Trilogy. We've always loved Spyro, and played this game on the PS4, but still picked it up for Switch. If you love classic Spyro, then you should pick this one up. We posted our review for the PS4 version earlier this year, and then posted our thoughts on the Switch version later.
SNES games finally came to Nintendo Switch Online after what felt like an eternity. Even if you're not the biggest fan of retro gaming, between the NES and SNES games, there's something you're bound to like. We haven't touched either libraries outside of a few minutes, but there's a tonne of games waiting for us that we can't wait to sink our teeth into. Now we're just praying we get GameCube titles added soon...
Banjo & Kazooie finally came to Smash after what feels like an eternity. This duo of fighters were the third characters for the Fighter Pack and were announced during Nintendo's E3 presentation in June. Having not purchased the Fighter Pass, we decided to grab the bird and the bird as a stand alone character, and had a tonne of fun. They're really fun to play as, and we're glad they finally came to the Switch.

Arguably the biggest release this month would have been The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. We've never played the original, but just the overall look of the game was enough to sell it to us. The game sold over 3 million copies in two weeks, and stayed in the top of the charts for a while. If you want to read our review, click the banner below!
Squirtle, Ivysaur, Snake and the Link's Awakening amiibo all released this month, with the Link's Awakening amiibo being the only non-Smash amiibo to release this year. It's possible Nintendo has given up on the toys for life idea as it's functionality is minimal, but we hope it's something they decide to bring back in the future, there is a lot of missed potential with amiibo. We still feel there's a lot they can do with amiibo. September really was a huge month!

October
Ring Fit Adventure was a fitness RPG that released this month, and certainly peaked some interest. We haven't picked up the game, but people we know have and they've said it's very enjoyable.
Overwatch also released, and apparently there was some drama with Blizzard and the protests happening in Hong Kong. We weren't really paying attention to it at the time, but it seemed to be everywhere. Overwatch seemed to be a highly anticipated title for the Switch, but just went under the radar. That said, a sequel has been announced.
The tail end of the month - Halloween to be exact - saw the highly anticipated release of Luigi’s Mansion 3. We were planning on reviewing this game, but never got around to it. Simply put, it's very charming, looks gorgeous, and is incredibly fun to play. The game also has a co-op function with the unsung hero Gooigi, we're sure you'd have a blast playing this with friends or family.

November
Pokémon Sword and Shield finally released, and despite all the controversy surrounding the titles, the games ended up becoming the fastest selling Switch titles, selling over 6 million copies in their first week. We rather enjoyed the games and shared a lot of our thoughts on them. We reviewed them, and then further reviewed the new Pokemon, as well as the new forms. They're not the big "Pokemon comes to Switch" moment lots were hoping for, but they're still rather good titles.
Terry released at the fourth fighter in Smash Ultimate, but we didn't pick this one up.
Incineroar, Simon and Chrom also had their amiibo figures released.

December
Though this one technically only counts if you're in Japan, the next instalment in the Brain Age series will be releasing in December, with Europe getting it in February. Currently, there's no release announced for the US.

You can't argue that 2019 was a great year for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo had at least one first party game penned for every month except May, from casual games like Mario and Yoshi, to more hardcore ones like Fire Emblem and Astral Chain; whatever your favorite genre may be, 2019 had something for everyone! Of course, there are many many more games that released this year that we didn't include, such as Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, DAEMON X MACHINA, Doom Eternal, The Witcher III, Little Town Hero, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. It's sure been a great year for Nintendo, and here's hoping 2020 is just as good, or even better!

Be sure to follow BidoofCrossing on Twitter and Tumblr to stay up to date with the latest Animal Crossing and Nintendo news!