Sure, I may be jumping the gun with 3 and half months to go and with a few titles yet to be actually played and reviewed by gamers but I'd say we're far enough along to make some judgements on this.
Watching the latest Direct with the Mario Odyssey footage, I am ready to declare it Game of the Year without having actually played a second of it. Yet, then I remember that Breath of the Wild also released this year and then I wonder just how that battle of opinions is going to play out when people and various media sites start talking about the best games of the year. It's crazy that these games are both coming out in the same year.
Then I started thinking about other titles that have been released and it got me thinking, in one year, from January to December, is this the best software lineup Nintendo has ever released in that time frame?
The Evidence:
Switch: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, ARMS, Mario Kart 8 DX, Pokken Tournament DX, Fire Emblem Warriors (and 3DS), Snipperclips, Flip Wars.
3DS: Poochy and Yoshi's Woolly World, Tank Troopers, Mario Sports Superstars, Bye-Bye BoxBoy!, Kirby Team Fighters, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valencia, Ever Oasis, Kirby's Blowout Blast, Hey! Pikmin, Miitopia, Metroid: Samus Returns, Yokai Watch 2: Psychic Specters, Layton's Mystery Journey, Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, Pokémon Ultra Sun/Moon.
Man, that's quite a few remakes or re-releases when you look at the list of software this year. I think that about covers it all. Maybe there's a title that doesn't belong or I'm missing one but that's it more or less.
Obviously, not every title listed is the equivalent of BotW or Odyssey. Yet, most of Nintendo's, let's say "B Games" like Hey! Pikmin! or Bye-Bye BoxBoy seem to have turned out fairly well to mostly positive reviews. The only couple stinkers may be Tank Troopers and Mario Sports Superstars.
What do you think? Is there a different year you think deserves the title of Nintendo's Best Year in Software? How would you rate this year's software output?