Three December 2017 Switch releases shuffle the WOS Top 10

Our Top Rated page is a great way to see which are the best rated games for the Nintendo Switch. Ahead of a change we'll be making to this list in early January, it's a good opportunity to check out what's currently top.

(It's currently a Top 11, due to 9th place being a three-way tie.)

No 1 - Super Mario Odyssey (13 reviews, average rating 9.89)

Ahead of Zelda by just 0.05 points, Mario's latest adventure has been extremely well-received by all. It's a rollicking ride, closer in style to the open-worlds of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine than the bite-sized levels of Super Mario 3D Land and World, and the very linear paths in Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2. My only criticism of Odyssey would be that it's over a bit too soon. Still, it's incredibly fun while it lasts, and comes highly recommended for any Switch owner.

Super Mario Odyssey reviews.

No 2 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (14 reviews, average rating 9.84)

Back in the first 2-3 months of the Switch's life, critics claimed that Zelda was the only thing worth getting the Switch for - which isn't great, considering it's also available for the Wii U. But what a year it's been. There are well over 300 games available for the Switch - it's definitely not a one-trick pony. Zelda itself is a phenomenal game, and Switch owners are also very lucky to have both Zelda and Mario in the same year. Zelda's lifespan is also extended via two DLC packs. You're not going to be done with this game in a weekend.

Zelda: BOTW reviews.

No 3 - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (12 reviews, average rating 9.33)

For those of us who owned Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U plus the DLC content, Deluxe doesn't add a whole lot. But considering the Wii U was a commercial failure, many gamers missed out on this very solid instalment in the long-running Mario Kart series. Throw in the Switch's portability and the opportunity for any Switch owner to have a 2-player game right out of the box due to the Joy Cons, and you're onto a winner. With a total of 48 tracks, and loads of racers and karts to choose from, this really is the definitive Mario Kart title.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe reviews.

No 4 - SteamWorld Heist: Ultimate Edition (3 reviews, average rating 9.17)

A very late entry to the top Switch games of 2017, as this was only released on December 28th. I haven't played it yet, and with only 3 reviews, the score could change a fair bit. But going by the score and the track record of the SteamWorld series, it's probably a fair bet that you should consider picking this up.

You can see the reviews here: SteamWorld Heist: Ultimate Edition.

No 5 (joint) - SteamWorld Dig 2 (14 reviews, average rating 9.11)

I've been recommending the Switch to friends throughout all of 2017. Once they've bought Zelda, Mario and Mario Kart, this is the next title I recommend to them. It didn't take me long to beat the game (10-15 hours) but I was blown away with every facet of SteamWorld Dig 2: the graphics, the music, the weapons and upgrades, the level design, every part of it just works so well. If you haven't played this yet, go and pick it up now. It's a lot of fun.

Here are the reviews of SteamWorld Dig 2.

No 5 (joint) - Stardew Valley (9 reviews, average rating 9.11)

Tied with SteamWorld Dig 2, Stardew Valley isn't a game I've played yet, but I'm very aware of what it's all about. I've intentionally steered clear of it for the time being as I have lots of other games to play. Friends have suggested that this game is a real time sink (in a good way) so I'm not in a rush to abandon all my other games just yet! While I can't give my own rating, the consistently high marks for Stardew Valley should give you an idea of what to expect - if you haven't already picked it up, of course.

See the Stardew Valley reviews.

No 7 - Enter the Gungeon (5 reviews, average rating 9.10)

Just slightly behind SteamWorld Dig 2 and Stardew Valley, Enter the Gungeon is another late entry to the list, released as it was on December 18th. Again, it's not a game I've played yet, but it's scoring well so far, which has got me interested. This is also the final game in our current Top Rated list that has an average rating of 9 or above.

Find out what the reviews for Enter the Gungeon are saying.

No 8 - Mutant Mudds Collection (4 reviews, average rating 8.88)

The third title in our Top 10 that was only released in December - this one came out on the 14th. I haven't played it, but it's on my list to check out.

Read the reviews of Mutant Mudds Collection.

No 9 - A three-way tie: average rating 8.75

9th place is a three-way tie between Skyrim, Axiom Verge, and Rocket League.

Skyrim (10 reviews) is a few years old now, but it's a game I've actually not played before. I got it for Christmas. I'm probably 8-10 hours in, and I'm really enjoying it. The amount of people excited by the prospect of "portable Skyrim" clearly shows one of the biggest selling points for the Switch. The rating show this is a title that's still worth picking up in 2017.

Axiom Verge (6 reviews) - I feel slightly silly saying this, but I've owned this for a few weeks and still haven't played it. I love Metroidvania games - I've just been distracted by Samus Returns on the 3DS. So I've got another great game in front of me. Surprisingly, this game hasn't been reviewed by as many sites as most of the other titles in our Top 10.

Rocket League (11 reviews) - I've not played this yet, but there's an interesting contrast between reviews and the eShop charts. Rocket League has certainly not had bad reviews, but it's fallen short of the universal praise of the titles higher up this yet. Despite this, it's dominated the eShop charts, sitting at No 1 on the European charts since it was released (click on the Rocket League link to see it's chart history). With 7 consecutive weeks at No 1, it only needs to stay there for one more week to equal the 8 week record set by Minecraft - see our No 1 rankings for details.

Speaking of which, there are many more games than these in our Top Rated list - why not check it out?

What's coming in 2018?

At the start of this post, I hinted about a change that's coming to our Top Rated list in early January. To keep things fair, we're going to start running a new list in early 2018, so the same games don't stay at the top forever. We'll keep the "All-time" list as well - the 2018 list will be a new addition. Stay tuned for more details!

Published: 30th Dec 2017 17:30

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Infobox
Title Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Rank 14/4207
Average rating 9.37
eShop price £72.48
Europe release 28th Apr 2017
Players 1-12
Developer(s)
Publisher(s) Nintendo

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