Games That Defined the Nintendo Switch | LFTF Ep. 002

Alex and Luke share their Top Five Games That Defined the Nintendo Switch.

From launch titles to surprise late-era gems, the Switch has built a legacy as one of Nintendo’s boldest and most beloved consoles. In this episode of Low Five Top Five, the guys break down the games that shaped the system—whether through sheer cultural footprint, unexpected innovation, or just endless hours of personal joy.

There’s debate, agreement, and a few wildcard picks that might raise eyebrows.

Transcript

Luke: 0:08

Well, hello and welcome to Lo Five Gaming. We are having a funeral. A happy funeral. A remembrance for our dearest of friends, the Nintendo Swede. Yes, the Switch's swan song. Yeah. We we're still playing games, we're still big dorks, uh, but we're not good at um commitment. Nor intros. This is low five gaming, and you've got your hosts, Luke and Alex. Me being Alex, this big Luke. What up, bro? What up, what up, what up, what up. I was in the middle of a deep rant that you need to let me finish. Uh please continue. What the switch 2 is out, and uh, we are not gonna buy a switch to we can get into that later yet. I mean, I mean I'll get one eventually. I'm sure we'll both own one eventually, but this is uh more of a just thinking back of one of my favorite all-time, if not my favorite all-time console, is probably the Switch. So I was like, as the Switch 2 comes out, instead of celebrating the new hardware, I kind of want to think about I want to yearn. I want to wax romantic. I can dig it, dude. So this is another switch. This is another low five top five. Yeah, the Switch version. Switch. But specifically, the Switch games that define the system, right? For us. For us, our experience. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna put that in the in the title for SEO purposes, but you know. You know, I understand those words. Um yeah, so I was thinking, and I was just like, this is not my five favorite games on the Switch. That list would look similar, but not. It's more just like what kind of when I think back of the Switch, good or bad, what are like games that'll kind of define my time with it? So there's not too many rules. I think one of the only things is I'd say is like uh I'm personally not gonna include any of the NSO store emulation games. Did you? Uh it's funny that you brought that up because as I was figuring out mine, I was like, NSO, would that count? Because I mean, I'm just gonna throw it out there right now as like an honorable mention because I think the NSO is important to the Switch. I spent a decent amount of time playing some of the old N64 games and some of the we played a few pods, like I think Metroid I play on there. It was like a cool tool. It's definitely part of the story. I was excited when those got released, so it's worth mentioning for sure. Yeah, dude. So today we are recording in June, June 11th, I believe. Something like that. June 10th, June 11th. Confirmed. Right on. 11th. But the switch came out in March 3rd, 2017, brother. It's 2025 right now. Long times ago. Long times ago. Dude, that's wild. That's a different man then. Five eight, eight, nine years, something like that. Yeah. Dude. That's a long life. Yeah, it's for a system. Abnormally long for a system. It's Nintendo-y as hell, because it just exists in its own little Nintendo pocket. And also, like, I think production chain chip shortage, nonsense, delayed its life. But it also sold like a motherfucker the whole time. It did. So why would you let go of this beautiful cash cow? They did some interesting things with that along the way, too. Like you've got your original launch system with the LCD screen. You've got the Switch Lite, which came out a couple years after the the first one, uh the original launch, I believe. Yeah. Uh, and then eventually we got the Switch OLED, which you've never tasted. No, it's a it's a luxury more than a novelty. Once you go OLED, you don't go back. Sure. I'm a tech toy guy, though, you know. Yeah. And you know, I my old Steamy, it's not dirty. Edit that out. Don't tell my Nintendo Switch about my mistress, the Steamy D. Doug, that's part of this, though. That's like part of that's part of why I'm not like yearning for a Switch 2. The Steamy D did come in and kind of fill that the void that I feel that Switch 2 fills. I would say that Nintendo revolutionized the handheld with the Switch, which it did, but it's also kind of funny because Nintendo's always had that market. They just found a way to like modernize. It's like they brought the handheld gaming into just regular gaming. I actually saw an article about this and I didn't read it. So I read a headline. It's the most 2025 chip awesome. For sure, for sure. But I'm not going to be able to do that. I can't even credit the publication because I just scrolled right by. But it did it did hit though. Um it was probably Kotaku or something, but uh the the person who was writing there writing about how they they yearn for handheld gaming when it was its own thing. Because now I understand it being like a big Game Boy head and like you know, having all my handheld, like you know, that there was a time when developers specifically made games right all the way up and to honestly the s well Sony did some things that like kind of brought the handheld world into like kind of like their their PS Vitas, probably, but that was a bit of a flop. So like Nintendo truly like knocked it out of the water, like bringing it bringing uh bringing like system games to to your hands. I would say the Switch re-sparked my joy of gaming because I was coming out of college and I did have a PS4, and just the Switch came along and like really sparked kind of an an obsessive little streak that remains a bit to this day. Um and it's so funny. I I told you earlier we'll probably start off with uh because I don't think we'd be podcasting about video games if it wasn't for the Switch, to be honest. 100%. And we'll we'll go over all of our our Switch games that we've potted about later. Um but just the general story of getting the Switch, I didn't know I was never a Wii guy controversially. I I am, but only like you know, I only bought one probably three months ago. He's just got himself a Wii. No, when the Wii came out, I thought it was cool, and there were some fun games. I had a friend uh growing up, we'd go over to his house and play it. I thought it was fun and cool, but I actually always hated the motion controls. I was always like it was like a gimmick where like our Uncle Jim had a fucking Wii, dude. Yeah, no, for sure. Like just random people would have like everybody had a Wii. That's like a trope. Like the not that Uncle Jim not saying you're fucking in a nursing home, but like for sure. But you know, the Wii in the nursing home is like a trope. Uh yes, but like your mom's friend had a Wii. Right, right. So but I love the GameCube. I love the GameCube. Um and then she didn't sell Game Busters, actually. Oh, which is crazy. They had so many slappers on that system. But you can actually play this, is like doesn't fucking matter, but you can you can play GameCube games on the Wii Dude, the Wii was fucking dope. Uh yeah, you know, I've actually heard people are pissed that like the the Wii shop never really like the Switch didn't do it quite as good as the Wii. Time will tell though. I do feel that from what I've heard in Rumblings, the Switch 2 will likely bring life to a lot of the like motion control Wii stuff that oh word. Yeah. Uh what I was gonna say though is that I didn't even know when the Wii U came out. Yeah, same. So like when people tell stories about like people being confused. I never did the handhelds, but I digress. Like, um, like I remember Kev was like, I bought a Wii, and I was like, what's this pad thing? And then like I don't even know if he knew and he bought it. I don't think he knew that he bought like technically a brand new system. Sure. So when they talk about people being confused as this, this necessary is this new, 100% true. So I bring all this up to say that I was not like when the Switch was getting released, I wasn't like super hyper fixated, like, oh my god, new system coming out once Nintendo got up their sleeve. I was a hundred percent sleeping on Nintendo. Now let's see, 2017 is what we said, right? So you would have been you would have been a college graduate, correct? Yeah, I was in yeah. It's a full on full-on adult. I was in like uh I want to say it was the first summer outside of teaching. So like I had a full full year under my belt. I was entering my second year. This is so long ago I don't exactly remember the like the hype cycle or even the first announcement, but I do know I I wanted one. I do know that like well the want is funny because part of the want was the fact that nobody could get them, right? Right, dude. And we were and we and then all these I was starting to listen to podcasts around this time, and uh I'll shout them out because they're cease, they're since they no longer exist, but I remember fondly listening to Achievement Oriented, right on, which is through the ringer, it's Ben Lindbergh and at the time, Jason Concepcion and some others would cycle in and out, but uh they were talking, and I was just listening to various people's podcasts about Breath of the Wild specifically, and I was just like the switch was the the Zelda machine for a while. And I your story's funny. Uh I'll start off with Ace's actually. Boing boing. Uh Ace was calling like every target in a certain mile rate. Dude, I was calling Best Miles and shit too for like a few weeks, and then I want to say it was like West St. Paul had one. He's like, All right, see you in 1015. And he just drove out and he bought one. And I think this part I don't remember, but I think he might have got one of the less desirable uh colorways. That was the one that was I think that's what happened to you, is it not? Yeah, kind of you had the gray one, your first one? No. Oh, you had the blue one. I had the option I had because I like a spoink. I would uh I would like go to Target just to see if they they had it in stock. I would call Targets, I would call Best Buyers to see it and they'd be like, nah, bro. I've never done this, by the way. Like, I've never like chased a console, it's always just been available to remember when we get them. I don't even remember why I was out. Like I was out in like one of the like closer ring suburbs or whatever, uh doing something with my wife, like picking her up or something, and I was waiting, and I looked up on my phone to see the closest like targets and best buys and called them to see if they had a switch, and they didn't. I was like, oh shit. But that's how like that's like the level of like how I was trying to shop one of these things. And it was all you heard was like Mario Kart was like, hey, it slaps on there, and they're like the fucking Zelda game, like you need to play it, it's gonna change everything for you. It's crazy. And we were Zelda launch game, Breath of the Wild? Yes, okay, it was like uh simultaneous as far as you could play it on the Wii U too. Oh, that's right, that's right. Um, but we you know we're Zelda boys, and I hadn't played a Zelda game like in ages, so I was just like super hungry for it and super into it. And I was a you had one, I had played it at your house. I had the switch before you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because we uh we you were showing me Zelda and then you ran into one of the Yiga clans. Oh yeah, yeah. And uh you were like trying to show them you're like, oh fuck, and you like got it like set up in chair because like you were pretty early on and you're trying not to get spanked because it was like the first two minutes after showing me the game. Yeah, sure. Um, so that was hilarious. But I was like the dog who had been like I wasn't at the same level as you uh as far as trying to hunt it down, but like you know, my wife's always trying to go to Target. I mean, like I mean, the whole like part of bringing up the story of how hard they were to find, like it was like disheartening. Like, you like why even go if you know you can't get one anywhere, like why even bother? Yeah, so I would just my wife would be like going to Target, and I'd be like, Oh yeah, we can go to Target. Yeah, you want to come with? Like, usually you're yelling at me for going to Target all the time. I was like, You need to go, do you need to get anything at Target? And I would just run over there, and then one day it was there, and I felt like the dog who like caught up with the car, and I'm like, the fuck do I actually do with this thing? A lot of F-words for me today. I'm gonna settle down. Some of a being in person got me riled up. Woo! Woo! But anyway, uh, so I got it, and then it's so funny, I was kind of laughing because uh the first game I got was Mario Kart. Oh, word, yeah. It wasn't even Zelda because I needed to like in, or did you buy it? Dude, I bought it, and my theory was like, because we you know, I was like a year out of college. Yeah, and I was not like the disposable income wasn't there, sure, right? So like I'm just about to drop a few hundred on something we definitely don't need. So I was like, but babe, we'll play together. So my first game was it like 350 at the time? 350, I want to say, you know, 300 with getting a game like that, yeah, probably 2017, 2017. But yeah, so Mario Kart was actually my first game, and I got it and I brought it home and we played it, and I was super pumped. So that's my story. Uh, I like how your story of how you got your Switch ended because it's the silliest. Dog, so I yeah, I like you said, I've been trying to find one all over the place. Wasn't gonna buy one secondhand, or not second hand, but like uh the secondhand market, uh, because fuck that dude, the scalpers. Yeah, I mean we wanted one, but we weren't like gonna pay through the nose. Yeah, for sure, for sure. But uh so I was doing the whole Target thing, calling around, doing a little bit of that. Definitely wanted one. Finally found there was one left at Target, and it was like the gray colorway. And I was like, oh, but I really want like the like bearing, you're bearing the funniest detail. No, no, no, hold up, dude. I'm not done. Oh, okay. So I really was so I was sitting there looking at it, and then another customer came up and like like swooped in and got it, and I was like, Okay, okay. I guess that's meant to be, like, I'm just not meant to buy it, I guess. Like, also fuck you guy. Yeah, but like whatever, you know. Uh so my wife and I go on vacation to Hawaii. Yeah, dude, we're in Hawaii, and we go to Target to like buy some things or staying at Airbnb, you know, got to stock up. And dude, the Hawaii Target like was flush with Nintendo switches, and I was like, baby, what if this was my souvenir from from Hawaii? And she was like, send it, dude. Like, just go for it. She's probably heard you fucking talking about it. Oh, she knew I wanted one, she knew I was trying to get one. But like when you're in vacation mode, there's like two types of vacation mode. There's like, I can't spend any more money. This has been so expensive, and then there's the I'm on vacation, dude. I'm on vacation. Plus, I already wanted the thing, like, dude. So I bought it. But a switch on vacation is hilarious, dude. Hello, dude. And then like to have it in a box, like in box, like underneath my like on the plane ride, like you know, like coming home with my switch. I was so happy. So are you not rocking it on the plane? Or I think I was, but I had the box and everything, you know. Oh, sure, sure, sure. Dude, just wild. Uh, but that's how I got the switch. I got a Hawaii switch. Nice. Unfortunately, I don't have that uh launch switch anymore. Upgrades. I sold it. I sold it for the Olid, which um yeah, which I I don't feel bad about. Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, it's a fun story. But yeah, dude got the Hawaii switch back in 2017, and it was the Zelda machine at the time. It's funny, dude. Like the uh now in in the good in the year of our Lord 2025, people talk about how vast and amazing the Switch library is. Yeah. But back in 2017 when it dropped, dude, it was like a drought. There was like you had Zelda, it was a Zelda machine, and you had Mario Kart, and it was like, what else are you gonna play? Like so we'll actually get into that. Fuck me, man. Yeah, yeah. We might have bought some silly games. Transition to my first game on my list, and I it has to be on yours. We just get it out of the way. Sure. So one of mine is Breath of the Wild. Hold up, hold up. I'm doing mine low five top five. Low five top five. You can you can do it like five to one, one to five. What's your plan here? Mine are like semi-chronological because they tell they tell little stories about little trends that I have in little moments. Yeah, we're a little we're a little scatter shot. That's all right. Let's just call it that. So I'll just do five. Cool. No, we'll do one. This is one. This is the first. This is my first love. So I already said that. So I played Mario Kart for like a week or two, and then I was like, all right, it's gonna stop. Let's stop pretending like this is why I bought this system. So I went and God Zelda and was just immediately obsessed. I've told it too many times on the pod, don't care. I still find it absolutely hilarious to just myself that like I was summer breaking, and I was I would play, I'd wake up, the wife would get up, go to work, and I'd just start grinding, handheld, and then I'd put it in the TV, and then I'd play all day, and then I'd put it in the TV like in the early afternoon for sure. Cause then when she'd get home from work, it'd be charged because like I kid you not, dude. It'd be like 10-15 minutes of like small talking about your day, and I'd be like, Well, I've been busy all day, might as well play uh Yoda for the first time totally. And then I'd rock like another few hours before bed, and like I'd bring it into bed because of like, of course, this is a good one. What a fun pocket, dude. Just fucking dude. If I could live in it, no responsibilities. I'd love to time travel for like a day, but usually for like cooler things than this. But this has got to be like to recapture that level of obsession, I think is it's I have been chasing that high since. Like, no game has even Tears of the Kingdom could not I get a little tastes of that, but I I know what you're saying. Like, never fall on like this my day is this, and I'm no yeah, yeah, for sure. And then like if we want to talk like zeitgeist, like just introducing it to other people, getting other people to play, uh talking to them about it, all these like specific memories and the noises, and like it just made me it just made me obsessed, dude. And I was just so I was laying in bed and then my arms would get numb because laying down and like holding up your switch, especially before they came out with the fancy switch bras that we like to use. Yeah, yeah. Like it was so bad. And then I'd be like, my hands would be feeling weird and it'd be running low on battery, and I'd be like, I woke up and played this, played it all day, took like small breaks to like do dishes so I didn't look like I played this all day. And then I'm like, she's asleep and I'm still playing this thing. So loved it. Dude, hell of a game. Uh the avid listener will know that I think the Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild, uh is maybe is that not on my top ten of all time? You might have done something funky. Yeah, like an honorable mention or something. It certainly worked into anyways. It is one of the best games of all time. If you look like it's not uh like we know this, we it's one of the best games of all time. This game they people called this thing the Zelda machine when it first came out. Like it was just a Zelda machine, and that game is also on my list. Uh I was gonna hold that for number one, but now it's out there, yeah. And that's just it, dude. Like Breath of the Wild, like, I look so just kind of like you do, I look so fondly back on those, like just the amount of discovery and they and Nintendo like, and this is why I made this particular list, like games that defined the Switch for us, uh, because it broke everything I knew. Well, I mean, like it the function of Zelda like totally changed. It was like having sex. I lost my virginity, Breath of the Wild, dude. Right, right. What I'm trying to say is like, I mean, Zelda's always got like the the lore of Zelda's always like cyclical, like it's always kind of the same story, but it did shift that a little bit, but like it took you know, it dude this is not Ocarina of time, it is not like Majora's Mask, it is not uh LinkedIn to the past. Like this game like went full on 3D and like just I don't know, it's like Zelda Skyrim only better. Yeah, I'll never forget just staring at the map and being like crazy map, dude. There's gotta be some fucking cool. So many articles back in the day about like just the idea of like seeing something on the horizon and then being intrigued by it and going to see what's up. Just dude, yeah. Spent hours like not even playing the game, just I mean playing the game, but like not following the storyline, right? Yeah, and it just changed like a lot of open worlds fill you with tasks and they try to fill those open worlds with different things to do. Zelda's it's hands down. It's got things. I just mean like hands down, it's the best ever. Maybe like Red Dead could rival it, Red Dead 2, but just best ever in terms of like I personally believe you're just derping, dude. You're just just fucking around. I I personally believe that like, and it's it's because it came out first, and I I kind of view um tears as like a continuation of one. It's like, you know, it's hard to be like Tears is better. I mean there's things about Tears that is better, but like well it's worth bringing up because like all you know, if we're talking about like, you know, all your buddies playing it, you're talking to people about it, like it was a cultural thing. It was kind of the same thing with Tears of the Kingdom, but like it just couldn't recapture that high of that brand new new. So like my friends were still playing it, I was still talking to people about it at work, but it it just didn't really it was better for the internet, sure, as far as like memes and contraptions and content, right? Right. Uh but just pure experience, nothing's I don't know of anything. It's like it's like Ocarina of Time when I was a kid, man. It's just like this changes all games moving forward. Right. So I can't. I have a I have a follow-up, or do you want to jump in? Go for it. All right. Um, you've touched on it a few times, so I just wanted to get out of the way. The second game that defines my time with a switch is Shovel Knight. Oh, okay. And if you're like the hill You went third party, nice. Well, here's the deal. There was a Darth of games. There was Mario Kart and Zelda. There might have been like a port or something else. My memory's a little foggy and I didn't want to do any fucking research. The research I did do though, is I logged on to my Nintendo account online and I looked through my purchase history because I had a feeling it was true, but I just wanted to confirm. My first purchased third-party game was Shovel Knight. Digital cards now or whatever they call them. Yeah, that's that's quite literally. I was like, the fuck's this? And I was hoping it'd have my whole play history so I could see hours and stuff like that, but in the time I was looking, there was nothing that convenient or straightforward. But Shovel Knight, I think I bought it because of Jason Schreier's book, and I read about Yacht Club games. Yep. And in I think his newer book, or maybe it was that book, he talks about how a lot of games, good or bad, just got a completely new life on the Switch because there was just this pocket of like Odyssey came out in September or October. Okay, yeah. So that was like the one, and then you had Odyssey, so you had Mario Kart, Zelda, and then Super Mario Odyssey, and then they were reasonably stretched out, and then there was like nothing. There was like Kirby Star Alliances in the spring. So there was like a long time before you had like an absolute banger to lean into. So I picked Shovel Knight as the official selection, but what Shovel Knight represents is me playing way more indies than I've ever played before, all the way up to like Hades 2. Yeah, once uh once folks started to be able to figure out how to you know, or were able to and then whatever to port and develop for the Switch, like there was a ton of indies that came. Yeah, and I like had thought about it and I was like, those indies were available on the PlayStation 4 store. I just there's something about the Switch that made it. Yeah, and it's like the style of those games being like retro leaning. Yeah. But Shovel Knight's a great game, but like if you look at hours played, like why didn't I mention Stardew Valley? Why didn't I mention uh Hades 2, which is like literally in my top 10 games of all time. Hades 1 or Hades 2. Oh, I meant Hades 1. Yeah, yeah. Um, it's like literally in one of my top games of all time, and it's just like Shovel Knight represents a game I played and was like really into and really cool that was like an opening of a door to a bunch of other games that I spent a crit. Like I think most of the time on my Switch ends up actually being third party. Nice, like indie. Nice. Yeah. Now I can dig it. Shovel Knight, that's a solid one. Have you ever played? Yeah, but not like all the way through. Yeah, it's it's hilariously up your alley. Yeah, I know, I know. Being yeah, it's like Alex Coda to the extreme. The soundtrack slaps, uh Yacht Cruz has a new uh Howling Mina or something like that. It's got a new like Zelda light game coming out, like Zelda. So I'll be I'll be excited for that. Probably pick it up on my Steam ED though. Yeah, fair, fair. Yeah. Alright. So what do you got for your second? Uh the second game that I'll mention because we've messed up my planned order. Yeah, it's almost like we could communicate, but you know, that's alright. Who doesn't appreciate a little wholesome uh chaos? Uh I'm gonna I'm gonna throw Super Smash Brothers Ultimate out there. I'm glad you did because it was off my list, but I was gonna have to um honorable. Now this game, I'm not like a the reason that it made the quintessential this game defined the the system for me is not because I like love this game. I I don't get me wrong either, I thoroughly enjoyed it when it first came out. And I and I still enjoy playing it from time to time. Well, I was like, the reason that it's on there is for the multiplayer aspect, right? Mario Kart 8 is not on my list. Now, can I was going back and forth between the two because I wanted a multiplayer a multiplayer game on there, and Mario Kart 8 is dope, but it also was available on the Wii U or whatever. They've done so much editions and stuff, it's kind of like a Switch game. But and to be honest, I probably like it's more approachable, way more approachable for folks that aren't gamers. So if like I'm gonna play with my wife, Mario Kart, send it, you know, Mario Party, send it. But what was really cool about Smash Brothers for me was the hype around it and the community around it, and then just like being excited for its release and then playing online with you and getting my ass whooped. You're uh uh I've played like in tournaments with some of the podcast community. Shout out to Mikey for putting those together, got my ass whooped there. Bet I probably would have too. Uh, dude, at your uh at your bachelor party. I was gonna mention it. There's lots of smash happening. Dude, we smashed a shit. We smashed a ton. The wife, the soon-to-be wife, worried about what they're doing at the bachelor party. I'm just crushing Smash Bros with what bros dude. But that's what's up, you know. In that game, I feel like it like I you kind of touched on it earlier, like the we, even though I have one now, and like, you know, that that era of Smash, like I never I never got like straight up into like I played them, but I've never been like there's Smash Heads out there. There's people that do Smash tournaments, like yeah. But this game, super approachable, great like set of characters. Like I I loved that, like uh, I don't even know you would call it, but the overworld thing that they did. It was like kind of like moving around and like I like the single player, I like the single player aspect of it. Like I got good with a couple of the different players, like I put in hella time when it came out, and I think that it's important. Like, I wanted it on a list because it's important for me to represent the communal aspect of the Switch somehow, right? Because that's such like an important part of this system and Nintendo's like ethos forever, like they they want people to play together, uh for better or for worse. I struggled because my hype for this game was um too high. Sure. I constantly joked with my student because I teach in middle school, so definitely up the Smash Bros alley. I constantly joked leading to it's like because the year it was coming out, I was like, all right, I hope you guys enjoy this class up until like I think it was like December or October. And I was like, when I will be retiring to play Smash Bros. Yeah, and they're like, I was like, I'm gonna be a streamer. And they're like, What's your stream name? And I was like, Stall Daddy 10,000. Nice. And uh we all laughed, and then uh a kid actually called me that, and I was like, Don't don't fucking call me that. Just running around the principals, like, why are they calling you stall daddy? I can't have you calling me any version of daddy at all. Like, fucking stop that, bro. And he thought it was so funny, and I was like, Yeah, it's like Stall God 10,000. Just do that, and then like you mentioned, the bachelor party, we had a big old TV, and it was just like, you know, uh, you can up the chaos in Smash Bros. where like even if you suck, you just you know. Shout out to the homie Jimmy who had me over uh not too long ago again for another like game session. We played Smash Bros. with the homies, dude. It's just like it's such a like fun, even if you're not like not good at it, like you can be good enough at it. Yeah, I mean but then you get like one other homie, like let us shout out my buddy David. So he's kind of swept the floor with us, you know. So like there's definitely like levels of like yeah, and then at school once we like had like a goofy day. I don't remember what the deal was, but someone brought a switch in a dock, and we slapped it on one of the big old TVs in the room, and we were just in and out of the room running different tournaments, and it was tight. It was just another one of those moments where you just got a couple of dudes in a switch, you know, and bring your controllers, brother. And we were we were jumping and I remember the buddy Hog uh brief shout out, fucking scolding me because it was like a 1v1 situation, and I like basically I didn't trust the person to not use the item, so I just like ran to the item and used it, and that murdered him. And he was like, The fuck is that? It's like that's not how you play. And in my head, I was like so ashamed because I was like, You're right. But I was like, I didn't know he knew the decorum. I didn't know he had the decorum, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. I don't even think it was him that I beat either. He just looked at me in disgust, like, and if you knew this dude, he'd be funny. Like, he's not a confrontational guy, so it's just kind of like to this day, I'm like, man, I can't believe I smurched myself in his eyes. My honor, my gaming honor was called in question that day, and the person was right. It's just in the rules of engagement, dude. I didn't know they knew the rules of engagement, so I just had to win. That's clowning. Yeah. Uh, another another cool thing about Smash that kind of like lays in even or leans in even further to the whole like defines the system for me, is like a ton of folks that really love Smash and love Smash on the GameCube, like bought the GameCube controller peripheral, like the third-party peripheral. I think they may even have, I don't remember for sure, but like you can buy you can buy a GameCube controller that works with um with the Switch or whatever, and people did that specifically for Smash. There's like branded Smash controllers. So that's like another thing, the peripherals. Nintendo's always been big on their peripherals, and that's another little piece, a small one, it kind of teases maybe what I'm gonna say next. Oh, well, if you're ready to go, all right. Shoot. So this game, another big peripheral game, uh, not We Fit Advent, not We Fit Ring Fit Adventure or whatever, which I do have. Yeah, uh You had to. Dude, it's kind of dope. You had to. I mean, it's the yeah. Uh no, the game I do want to shout out though, uh, for this list. And I I went back and forth, but like when I really thought about it, and for games that define the system, uh, for me, it's it's that uh Mario Kart Live home circuit. Now I have not put hours of time in a home circuit. Was that the toy? Yeah, yeah, that thing's hilarious. I forgot that came out. That thing's fucking cool though. It's so cool we're setting that up. It's so cool. And it's uh I that's like probably the most joy I've had because I have uh I have a switch and a switch light. I I won the switch light on uh Instagram, someone was doing like a raffle. Yeah. Uh so you know I don't know. I had to like I I guess people whatever. That's I don't need to justify my fucking systems. Yeah, I don't know where this is going. I have two of them. That's just the thing. You need like this isn't this is the I guess I'm laying the groundwork with the idea that this is like ridiculous. But I have two. Check your own man as two switches, and then this little peripheral car that drives on the ground. I have Luigi and Mario. It's the shit you dream of as a kid, and you're like, I'll never be able to afford all that. Mom and dad ain't got no time for 100%. When you're an adult, you're like, oh, I'm in fucking charge, dude. And I have not, I have like if you look at my playtime on uh home circuit or whatever, like I'm sure it's like two, three hours. It's not very long. Two, three hours of which has been spent like showing it to other people being like, that's what's up though. That's what's up though. Like, that's what's so cool. Like look at it go under the chair, dude. That's so cool. That's what's so cool though, dude. It's like so you got these like I remember ripping it in the basement in Rose. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. It was Tiger's wanting to bring it over to your stuff. Winston was chasing it. Murph was like, the fuck is this witchcraft? For sure. Uh I brought it to Brunson's. Shout out Brunson's pub, and we like played like up in the upstairs, like after hours, dude. Like, so fun being able to set this thing up, people be like, what the heck is this? And then play and like be able to like do do like live in-person Mario Kart. Like, dude, what a dope peripheral. Like, and for me, that helps define the system. That's hilarious. Um, totally forgot you had that. Where is it in the office? I don't even know the carts are in the closet. You bought two of them too, didn't you? I got Mario and the Ouija. I got Ouija on discount though, I think. That's out of control. But that's just it, dude. I'm and like it's so funny, man. Like, who knows if he'll even care when he's like old enough to fuck with it. But like, dude, I am like chopping at the bit to to like be able to play that with Elton. Love that. Um that's part of the joy, dude. Like setting up the setting up the circuit and whatever. Yeah, I'm a grown-ass man, I can do that and like have a little bit of fun doing it, but like to see, and that's that's what the cool part though is like being able to share that with him eventually, being able to share that with you back in the day, being able to share with all the homies at like at the Brunson's dude. Like it was just like that was dope, like to be able to share that experience. So cool. Respect that. All right. So next on my semi-chronological list uh was the game I was perhaps most hyped for, disappointed by, yet loved. So it's this weird thing where it could never meet my expectations. There's things where if I think about it to this day, there's such massive missed potential, but I played a bunch of it and I adore it, and it also fits my theme of it, it represents a bunch of other games. Well, a select few. So the game is Mario Golf. Oh, yeah. See, that was I I toe with that one. And in my head, it kind of pairs nicely with my time spent with Mario Tennis, which was actually super solid. Okay. Liked Mario Tennis a lot, yep. And played a decent amount online, which is very strange for me. I'm a super anti-online gamer. Playing randoms?

Alex: 33:30

Dang.

Luke: 33:31

Yeah, playing randoms. Uh one time a dude was like, Wanna be my friend on Switch? And I was like, sure. After I he beat me in tennis. It was close games, though. I'm just saying. And then he had like 700 hours in Fortnite, and I was like, You're not my guy. And I unfriended him immediately. I was like, I'm not gonna like what am I? It was whatever, right? Yeah, it's not good. So Mario Tennis was sweet. Mario Golf, Mario Golf on the GameCube was like one of my favorite games, and I was like obsessed with it. GameCube Mario Golf's amazing. It's it's amazing, and uh maybe the only reason I'll get a Switch too is to play Mario Golf on it. Right GameCube. But the action, the actual golf simulation is excellent. Yeah. The are you talking about the current switch? Yes. I liked the super rush modes, not practical, but uh wish they would have just leaned into what they did with the GameCube. Like, but whatever. I'm getting there. I'm getting there. Yeah. No, like we had like some a work retreat, we call it, where basically a bunch of dudes just getting Airbnb and we had Nerf gun fights and drank beers and ate too much food. It's great time. Um, we were playing just a ton of Mario Golf the first one we did. Beers, bros, and banging. We talked about this. But it was like a great, it's kind of similar to what you were saying with um Smash Bros and what we were talking about there, but it was like a really good communal game once again. I played that one online a lot too. I just loved the golf simulation with it. I will never forgive them for creating bland ass courses. Yeah. And I'll never understand why they were like, no, it's so you could also do the super rush stuff, which the super rush stuff was kind of fun when you're in a group setting like that, but when you're just chilling at your house alone. Let me just play a golf scene. When you're hanging out with a bunch of dudes, but I feel you, dude. This game almost made my list, too. So much missed potential, but also. We were stoked out of it. We were like I was a ravenous dog for that game. Like it was so like it could never meet those expectations, but I'll never forgive them for not having courses. I just don't understand. They could have tried like just a little bit harder, but you know what you can do. Just make courses that are golf courses that are super goofy and like Mario themed. I thought that's what we were here for. Not like bland, this is the desert track. This is the and like Mario Kart does it. Uh it it was just so weird to me that they didn't lean into that. If I recall, they were like they were leaning into like this whole like Breath of the Wild map style where it's like one big area and then they like they try and weave in. It's like, I don't know, whatever. It was just and then they, in my opinion, they just kind of gave up on it. Do you not think so? I think they showed they could have had a really long tail, and they were like, nah, it's good, it sold. The numbers must not have been there. Maybe not, but like it was cool. Like I would log in, I forget if it was monthly or weekly. I think it was weekly. You'd get a different character skin if you played online enough. So I was doing that all the time. I was like, it wasn't like good, but I like won a few tournaments. It was pretty cool. Um we uh we got some good matches going when we went out to B More. Yeah, see, that's what I mean. It was just you just grip it and rip it. It was just so fun, and it was a good game, and it's just the costumes were fun to unlock, but then they started to repeat and they just gave up on that cosmetic piece. I would have played longer for more cosmetics, even though I don't like just for something to unlock. What are you gonna do? And then the courses, if they just like never was there like a shoot it into that pipe and it's a shortcut if you hit that pipe. And they had that type of shit in the game keepers rant over my bad. I'm saving up that rant. He's like, this game define the switch for me. Disappointment. Yeah. It's like one of my and then you know what though? Like, that's kind of part of the whole switch journey, is it reaches highs, and there's a few times where it doesn't quite deliver in the way you want, and it's just the way games are changing, and that's part of the story, you know. Right on. I'm glad that one made the list though. I I debated it for quite some time. Kind of like Smash Bros. I'm glad it gave an ad to talk about. So I got two left. Looks like we've one thing the same, so you might as well get that one out of the way. Uh maybe both. We'll see. But I'm gonna go, I'm gonna, I'm gonna save my I'm gonna save my load, and I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go with Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Shocking. Yeah, I considered it because I've played it the one time and adored it. So this is similar to like the how you're saying you're ravenous for for Mario Golf. Like, I really like Kirby. Like Kirby gets shot on on the internet like for being too easy and stuff, but it's like, have you played Kirby? It can get hard sometimes. Yeah, it's like a coke head being like, You're smoking weed, it's like I had to get there somehow, dude. Yeah, for sure. Uh, but this you know kind of ties into analogy that's on me, that's bad. It kind of ties into uh the whole idea of Nintendo kind of like you kind of want the Zelda thing, how they changed up the format. Like, so they brought Kirby, which is primarily a 2D platformer, into the 3D platforming realm, and they did an excellent job at it. That game's so good. Like honestly, probably my favorite Kirby, and I like almost all the Kirby games. Like, but this this Kirby game, probably the best. Uh graphics were solid, like quite good, actually. Uh, I just remember being stoked for the release of that, and I remember playing through it and it having from start to finish just such a joy. Like that doesn't happen in most games. Podcasts did good numbers too, so dude, it is. That part too, Kirby Pod is like it's like in our top three. Kirby Hive. Get at me, dude. Kirby Hive was sure, dude. It's got a tail on it. People still listen to the Kirby episode. That's such a good game, dude. And it's like is it a hidden gem or is it an underappreciated masterpiece? Underappreciated probably an unappreciated masterpiece, dude. Slapper. No, like the little cutscenes and everything. Like the game is good. Like the game is very good. And it was like did not stay as welcome. Like it's it's just long enough. It like hits all the sweet spots for me. In a few years, if you're like, let's dust off the old switch. Like you would definitely get to Kirby in the Forgotten Land. Yeah, and if you haven't played it, uh played. Get your ass on and play it, dude. Like it's fucking it's a cool game. And like for me, it was like that hype cycle of it. Like, there was that's what something the Switch did so well for such a long time was the hype cycle. Yeah, like that is tapered off in the last few years for me. Yeah, like for various reasons. Like I have other systems that I play, like Switch for a long time was like my so you brought it up at the beginning of this, but like it it invigorated like a gaming like person in you, right? Yeah, dude, I was even more so like out of the game. Like I didn't have a PS4, like my last system was a PS3. That's true. I didn't have her have any Xboxes, like and before your PC, you'd play like games I was playing on the PS4, but like the lame Switch version, it was like it was like really funny. Like The Witcher, you don't know you were so hyped to get into some of these games that you had kind of missed out on. I thought about putting the Witcher on those list because for me, like that that was like my entry to The Witcher, and then I ended up getting it in the dude. The fact that it had the cross saves and I could bring it over on that PC. That was pretty fucking dope. But dude, like I remember playing The Witcher 3 on my Switch and being like incredibly happy with a couple of the cutscenes that were like, dude, like trash in terms of like graphics, but like still adorably so still like was pretty tight. Yeah, great game to play, handheld. Not on my list. Thought about it though. Yeah, oh wow, but um but Kirby dude, Kirby the Forgotten Land uh made my list, and for me, that's like a quintessential Switch game, and I think that it was part of that like hype cycle where it was like there was a lot of excitement on its release, and it and different uh what sets us aside from Marion Golf, I feel like this game 100% delivered. Yeah, um, and also during that Darth of Games, I was very excited for Kirby Star Alliances, and that was a tough one for me because it was like 60 bucks for kind of a five to ten hour kitty game. Sure. So, like, as much as I shat on the whole like people who say Kirby's too easy, like when you're when you're in a desert and you finally get to some water, sure, sure, but there's not a lot of that water, it was a bummer. But now I I look more fondly upon that game now, but like God, if they would have released Kirby in the Forgotten Land at that time, it would have been a different narrative completely. Um, all right. So I guess I'll be the one to say it. So is this your fifth now? I'm on my fourth. Fourth. Okay, yeah, yeah. I just have had too much to say about some of your selections. It's all good. So uh we got it against Animal Crossing, who I'm pretty sure engineered the pandemic themselves. Dude, I'm pretty sure like we spent too much time in conspiracies about governments releasing it and not enough on how Nintendo probably created coronavirus to sell Animal Crossing. I wouldn't doubt it. But oh my god, dude. If you just like if you're thinking back of your time spent on this system, uh Animal Crossing's the one time I could turn my wife into a girl gamer girly. Dog plane, too. She put in a pretty crazy amount of hours, actually. And like it's so funny. Like, you know how I am, so like my my island was like popping. Like I had like very I'm a Virgo or whatever, you know. You can buy into that as much as you want, the star side stuff, but like but dude, I had like you know, my areas, everything was doing, and then like so you know, and I actually bought two copies of Animal Crossing. Yeah, I bought a digital copy so that because I have the two switches, so like Anna could put we could play at the same time and we could like get online and visit each other's islands. That was a mistake. I should never have invited Anna to my island because I had started playing this before her. Oh, you overwhelmed her with the potential? Yeah, dog. She like she came over to my island, she was like, Fuck this game. Oh no, she was like, I'll never, I'll never have an island like yours. I was like, Come on, baby, yeah, you will. I got into a playful white uh fight with the missus the other day, though, because we were talking about Animal Crossing with someone, and she goes, I kind of wish I had my own island. I was like, the fuck? Speaking upon our memories shared together, like how dare you besmirch our beautiful and you know what? Like, I kind of I mean, we talked, we talked it out. We like we goofed around about it some more. Like we both have very fond memories of doing that together. She probably wouldn't have gotten into it as much if she didn't have me kind of with some of the nuts and bolts of the island. That's just it. So, like, and I had her little tent, and she was like quite happy with like a couple flowers, and then she came and saw my fields of poppies and was like, what the fuck? Yeah, uh, and I also can't blame the wife for like she'd go into the northwest corner of the map and I had created a bamboo fortress that may have looked like a prison, looked like a cool fucking castle to me, but whatever didn't matter. Why are we holding people busts hard? That's funny. Dude, uh, if I look back on my bank of photos or screenshots on the Switch, like it's all the different fish I was catching and shit, dude. And like you remember, I remember the first month where it's like you have to catch this one fish before the end of the month. It was like some fucking golden trout or some shit. You had to like climb to the top, you had to be like in a certain body of water or water. Yeah, it was like all this stuff, and like the content created around it. Uh Ace boy boy boing had a fucking birthday party in it. Because it's the heat of the pandemic. We're like, shots out to Ace. Boo, woo, wooing, dude. He had like cupcakes ready to go for folks. Like dog. Yeah, party favors. He had like, dude, yeah, we went home back to our islands with like gifts and stuff. Like I was like, shit. That was that was dope, dude. I was like, the best party you've ever thrown, Ace. Boing. The fuck you done since, dog. Uh so that shit was dope. Uh, I'll never forget, like, I had to teach, so it was like this weird thing where I had quote unquote office hours for like two hours a day. So like I'd wake up whenever the fuck I wanted, yeah, right before office hours, and then I was like, burn, boom, boom. Yes, sir. And my wife would be all fucking jealous because she had to do her like real job, but stored it out really from the computer across the room, so she could just see me grinding, getting shaking my fucking trees, digging my holes, harvesting my flowers, and like I was a fan of it on the GameCube. Uh I never really played the GameCube too much, but I had the 3DS. I played New Leaf or whatever it's called a little bit. But we man, we went so hard into the into the game or the excuse me, the island life and visiting people, and then we got into the stonk market, dude. Remember that we had two. We had a group that shouts out to the homies. Uh so Ace was on that. Boing. Carter, I want to say, was on there. So yeah. And then I think I got Ben into it, so Ben was on it. And then I'm trying to get it. I forgot about that. That's called if there's anybody else, and just like hitting that thread of like, yo, what's your price? Yeah, yeah, and like jumping over to each other's islands, dicking the money. Like that shit was. I kind of money. I kind of cheese that a little bit. I got on Twitter sometimes and like found folks that like had big big numbers, and it was like part of the vibe, dude. They threw them codes out. Yeah, I forgot about that. I liked visiting random islands and harvesting them. Like, it was just it was a great game. It quite literally at the suspiciously perfect time for a game like that. Yeah, for sure. Like uh but so, dude, for sure. It's funny. Um post-Panny, uh like you know, tail end of it, Panny wasn't really over, but you know. Yeah. Uh I was in New York and went to the comedy cell. I love going to the comedy cellar every time I'm in New York. And one of the comedians can't remember who he was, one of the one of the openers. He was alright, but uh, I was in the front row. Um, they landed me in the front, which is like always gives me a little bit of anxiety because they're gonna pick on me. Yeah, you're a big dude too. I'm a big dude as well. You stand out to be like too for sure. Called upon so he calls on me and he's talking about the panty because panty's fresh, and he was talking about asking people what they did. He was like, How about you, man? Like, what'd you do in the panty? I was like, Man, uh like smoke a lot of weed, drank a lot of, and like fucking hung out on Animal Crossing. And he like tried laying into me on Animal Crossing. He was like, What the fuck? And then because he just wanted to hear, like, drank and smoked, you know, because that's what he did. It's like, okay, cool. Partied or whatever. Um, but but dude, fucking like so. I the dude next to me, some random guy, he like looks at me, he's like, Yo, man, me too. Like, everybody, because that's what everybody was doing. This can be fucking stupid, man. Like, he missed out. He missed out. Love that, but uh, but dude, that's like that game was so like to this day, and like this is the only regret I have about switching to an OLED and say it is I didn't do my save save transfer correctly. Lost that island. I lost my island, bro. That island is in my mind's eye. Like, I remember that island. Like, I could I can walk through it in my mind, dude. Like, it's crazy. I remember like having conversations with the wife about like where are we gonna lay this bridge? Dog, where are we gonna put this house? It was just it was so sick to have someone like with you to do all that. Hannah's like fucking broke ass island still exists, though. Shooting still sitting in her goddamn tent. Dog, I had like dude her coachella tent. Dude, I had like straight, like you mentioned the fish, dude. Like, I had like a full-on like all the albums you could collect. Like, dude, dude, I finished the museum. Like, that's not even like that big of an accomplishment. Like, I got them twin Glocks, dude. I call them Timmy and Tommy. Clowning. Sliding your bitch like KK, dude. Yeah, dog. Dude, uh, I wear a KK slider shirt to school. Oh, yeah, yeah. And people are like, the fuck? And then kids are like, hell yeah. Did I give you that shirt? Nah, the wife did. Oh, tight. But it's got like the cool, you know, we're both dumb. Yeah, I got one. We're dumb suckers with the fucking Japanese print. Yeah. So it's yeah, KK slider. Tight. Love that. Love the KK concerts. I am crossing. That was uh, that's my final. There's no way it's not. Yeah, it's on that. It's probably if I had to actually properly rank them, I might actually truly struggle between Zelda. My favorite game. That was my number two when I was gonna rank. So I had uh I had, I mean, hard to hard to not have Breath of the Wild up there. A moment for me or a moment for the greater community as a whole is crazy. I mean, like, you can't have the Switch without Animal Crossing, like it was such a cultural movement at the time, like and it brought people together. Like, like you said, people were hanging out digitally, yeah. When they couldn't hang out in person, uh, and just like a chill ass, like I'm not uh I'm not like a I like cozy games, I'm not like a cozy gamer per se. Yeah, but like I'll cozy up with some fucking Animal Crossing. And just like you dude, like I didn't have to teach or anything. I run my own business and like marketing shit. So like there are some things that I had to take care of, especially for my restaurant clients, which were trying to do like takeout and stuff, but that didn't take me too much time. Like there's a lot of time, so I had a lot of time. So of course I'd fire up like first thing of the day, and then what else are you gonna do? Like, you just so habitual, it felt so good. Um I I recently, dude, I've been like, man, it'd be kind of tight. Like, but that's just it, dude. Like, I miss my island so much. So like starting from scratch like gives me a little bit of pause. So I haven't I haven't like, but like have you ever stardew? Mm-hmm. Yeah, not like the only other cozy game I've ever fucked. Yeah, not like hardcore. Um, but I've I've put it I've put some hours into Stardew. Stardew's like, I mean, like it's tight, don't get me wrong, like 100%, but like uh there's just something like extra grinding and the simplicity of it of Animal Crossing. Whereas like Stardew like gives me like I try to min-max, I mean who am I trying to kill my like I min-max in fucking uh Animal Crossing as well, but like it's next level in Stardew, in my opinion. Animal Crossing had like a nice hour to two hour shelf life per day. Yeah. Whereas like Stardew's kind of like keep playing dog, yeah, that makes sense. You can run you run your full cycle and then move on. I think that's my full list, bro. I think I did five. Animal Crossing would have been the last one I was gonna drop. So I've got Breath of the Wild, Super Smash Brothers, Kirby the Forgotten Land, Animal Crossing, and Mario Kart Live Home Circuit. Noise. To finish and round me off, I have uh a cheat. Because who doesn't just cheat? Um me, I'm an honorable man. All lists, all integrity. I was playing, dude. You just see a kid playing like the Sims, putting in cheat coats and shit. Yeah, or trying to you know cheat when I'm beating you in baseball games. I digress. Um that's just part of the game, bro. It's a two-way tie between they represent they represent the same thing to me though. Okay, and that's my that's my cheat. Is it's I call it vegetable gaming. Okay, uh groove groove state gaming, sure, sure. Flow state gaming, okay, whatever you want to call it. Uh Civ six. Uh yes. And Slay the Spire. Okay. Very different games though. Yes, but also represent like I'm playing them for far too long. Yeah. I'm getting good enough at them where my brain processing to play them is low. So I could be watching sports, I could be watching something in the background, I could just be vibing. But the amount of time I put into Civ 6 is gross. Um it's interesting, like the Where that shit is a badge, bro. 100%. I fucking love Civ. No. Uh it did drop in a price, but I'm playing enough stuff, so now's not the time. Um it was so good. I was actually shocked it was so good on the Switch. Didn't they? Like you had some. I had some crashes. I had some nonsense. I was doing that. Which is pretty wild, dude. Most games like Switch, well, granted, like it's being my point is, is like Switch actually like doesn't have a lot of problems. No. Uh shouts out to the Switch. My Steam ED has way more technical issues than my Switch ever did. And I'm talking like hardware too. Switches, other than the Joy-Con drift, which Nintendo is pretty cool about replacing. I don't know what they still do, but they were for a while there. They were for a while and I got mine fixed and I haven't had issues yet, so that's tight. But they were both just like Slay the Spire, I guess I thought about maybe mentioning just when I said like that indie run I went on that started with uh what a great game to be able to play handheld though. Yeah. Are you trying to play Slay on a fucking big ass TV or something? Nah, not really. I mean I did when it would run out of battery. And I had to plug it in and I wasn't willing to quit. A lot of these, a lot of these uh third party games are like have been on the Steam, you know, Steam market forever, but there's and that's where the the Steam Deck has like kind of changed up the game quite a bit. So yeah, Slay the Spire combined with Civ, it's just I guess maybe if I had to officially nail it down, I'm gonna say Civ. Because like to play that game. Well you got like 400 hours, 500, 600, 700,000? 10,000. No. It's probably right now. Yeah, I'm playing right now. It's probably I got that Starlink fucking chip, dude. You dropping Civ 6. It makes total sense. Like I think it should be for you to make it. But like, dude, that game like have you considered playing on a PC? I think I bought it. I bought it, but I bought it on like Epic. And to be able to use a mouse, but do you use the touch screen? Like, do you use the touch screen? I use both. Yeah, there's different functionalities, and it's like late game, is when it gets really like I think that's an interesting thing about the Switch to me, is like I force myself to use the touch screen on there. Like, whereas the 3DS, like it was very much like you tap on the screen for things, right? Sure. Whereas a switch, like once you like break you almost forget that it's part of it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But then once you like realize, like, oh yeah, I can like dude, I don't know, it's nice. Yeah, and I got like expansions too. So like I would run into like really I would have to save pretty much all the time. Sure. And then late game stuff. So like you're so invested in late game that you would put up with it is really what it comes down to. Um the portability of the switch, playing Civ in bed, yeah, playing Civ in transit. So I've actually car rides. The majority of my Civ 6 I did on the iPad. Yeah, that would check out too. Yeah. I don't have one of them. But uh yeah, so like that, you know, if I'm telling the story of the Switch, that fits so I will officially cut out Slay the Spire, just a quick honorable mention shot of it. Sorry, Slay. That game slaps so hard, and I will buy Slay, I will not wait for a sale. I will buy Slay the Slyer to early access on release, doesn't matter. I love that game so dearly. Um, but Civ like to have that powerful of a game and complex of a game in a handheld everywhere on the couch, on the TV, bed, transit, all that, and just something to obsess over, and it looked good on there, it just had to make the list, dude. Dude, I love it. Yeah, dude, those games, like not only every single games that we mentioned, like absolutely I would recommend playing. They are not necessarily my favorite games, although some of them are on favorite game lists or whatever, but the but those games definitely define the switch for me. And I think it's like the Switch ultimately for me, like being someone who loves handheld gaming so much, like I have played plenty of hours docked, but like dude, the accessibility of being able to play on the couch, like still on the couch, but like heck, my wife being able to have like whatever TV she got on and being able to or even watch like her aside, say we got some sports rocking, and you can like to play footballs, dude. And you can just play a little bit of switch during the commercials or whatever you got going on, dude. I love it, it's so dope. And then you know, like we mentioned earlier, like being able to play it on a plane, like all this other stuff, dude. Like, dude, it's a system. I think it's the best system of all time. I think so too, dude. I think I look at the switch too, and I see the switch to as it's almost like the Wii U. It's like a necessary upgrade, and people are stoked on it. Uh I was looking up earlier, I think 3.5 million units have already sold in the first four days. So like people are buying it, and they seem to have like a decent amount of inventory of it. But there's a little prediction, dude. I think it'll taper off. Like, I don't think yeah, I don't like. I mean, we plan on buying it a little bit later, but like the thing is is like I just don't feel that it will have like dude, we're talking about a system that had a lifespan of eight, nine years, and like by all means, like could go on, like without a switch to update, in my opinion. Um it's gonna take like so it's the greatest system ever for a variety of things. It runs that gambit like we talked about from the novelties of Switch Circuit to like being able to play some of the more complex games handheld and then the handheld to the TV. And it's just gonna take like an absolute bang or a Zelda game. Yeah. That you can only play on the new capabilities. It's gonna take an absolute banger Mario game. Like they're gonna have to release like first party heat before people really for sure fuck with it. For sure. Me included, like and then Steam Deck has come up, a lot of people Xbox got their thing, but the only thing they can never compete with comes down to first party IP and Nintendo IP for sure. Yeah, but also like how the system works, its functionability, its accessibility. Like I read an article that uh a journalist was talking about how the new Xbox handheld is just super heavy. Yeah, I saw that too. And she's like, Maybe I'm just a petite gamer, but you know, if you want to get all weird on me about saying that, I'm not the only petite gamer. Yeah. So like legit concern here. Yeah, I ain't gonna lie. I prefer paying if I'm like playing with the Steamy D, like I put a pillow on my lap and put it on top. Because it's like not overly heavy, but it's heavy enough where you get earlier on you're talking about the switch and then numb hands you get from the holding or whatever. Yeah, that's it. Switch bra, fixed that. So necessary accessories. So yeah, it's the best. And then now there's a more crowded market, so a lot of those indies I can play. So when I look at what the switch to would mean, I'm like, well, I no longer need it for like my hollow nights and you know, silksong will be available and other stuff too. And then, you know, I'm not, I got an Xbox Series X, I'm not gonna play Madden on my Switch 2. Yeah, right. So like what's its purpose? And the answer is an absolute banger of a Zelda game. I can't. I don't think the Switch 2, I don't think the Switch 2's got eight years in it. You know what I'm saying? No, and we'll see where consoles are moving in general with like them tapering off. Because like when Xbox or PlayStation talks about a new system, I'm like, for what? Yeah, fair. Have you even taken advantage of like the Series X's capabilities? No, barely. Or the PlayStation 5. And then the PlayStation, like Nintendo's got games that I'd have some serious FOMO. I was a PlayStation boy forever. Yeah. And still don't give a fuck that I don't have a five. Sure, sure, sure. Couldn't be bothered to buy one. Got that switch though. The switch two is what we'll see though. Cool, man. Let's run through real quick the uh all the games that we played for the pod on our switches. Yeah, while you're pulling that up, I just want to say uh a shout out to Tyler. I like nagged him incessantly about how I needed to get a switch. And I was like, dude, I'll borrow you freaking Zelda. And I like I it was really cute. I like went with him to Target and we picked out his uh he got the Odyssey edition. Oh word Odyssey. So it's just a cute little romance of just like running over to Target with him. He's like, dude, you have to get him in like we were younger men, we didn't have children, so we could just drop a few hundred dollars on a whim. Yeah, but it was that was cute. Neither of us had Odyssey on the list. I that was one that like for sure absolute great game. Yeah, dude, a good super awesome game. Um, but for that doesn't define the system for me for whatever reason, although Mario is quintessentially like Nintendo. Yeah, but you get him everywhere else with the cart and the golf, like his mainline games are pretty solid. I mean, the one that came out is tight, too. Hades was an honorable mention for me. Yep. Um just that was obviously everywhere. I mentioned it with my ha show one night, yeah. There you go. That's why you got you. Uh but I think we both played that on on the Switch though. Oh yeah. Yep. So that was episode two, Hades. The second episode. Second episode. And then the hidden episode before that we were so bad at it. And we had a microphone on a table in the middle of your living room and your dog was barking.

Alex: 1:00:04

Yeah.

Luke: 1:00:05

And I was like, cut that out, put that here, and you're like, yeah, post-editing magic, that totally works like that. Yeah, well. That was uh Super Metroid, no? Uh correct. Yeah, so that would have been on the NSO. I think I might have played it on the episode. Episode Zero, I played on the NSO. Tight. With the sound effects, my cellular device. Don't worry about it. Um, totally, yeah. So I think I played that one on the uh the net the Super Nintendo Mini or whatever class. Sweat. But what you gonna do? Uh but fair, yeah. Um maybe that was briefly made available uh to folks, and maybe it will be again someday. It's a fun episode. It's the nightmare for the fans. Yeah, if you think we suck now, dude, you should have heard it then, dude. Uh Hades, episode three of Mario Golf Super Rush. Yeah. Go back and hear us. Wax actually, we didn't like totally wax baggage on that. We we like it, but um if you want a shorter version, I'd maybe just give you the rant. Episode four, the Legend of Zealas Skyward Sword. That was a great Switch game, dude. Yes. I thought about it when I was putting my my list together. I thought of it on the drive here. I was like, it's an excellent port, and the way they made the motion controls actually fun with the thumbsticks was great. Gave new life to a very good game that was lost on a shit system. Dude, for the people that have been following me since like before I changed over to low five gaming, and my Instagram handle was Ness Obsessed.

Alex: 1:01:23

Yeah.

Luke: 1:01:24

Uh this podcast was Ness Obsessed for a long ass time, dude. Like all of our games are fucking from the Switch. The next one, episode five, Metroid Dread. Mm-hmm. Wow. Looking at the poster right now. Yeah. That one was an arrow Metroid. I like had that on my list and removed it for the home circuit, dude. It's really cool. It's so good. It's like it is a great Metroidvania. It's a Metroid game, obviously, but like for the systems capabilities, I feel like it it like hits it the max. Like I think it like. Yeah, it's great. I mean, I bought the I bought I bought like the super whatever sick post. Yeah. Holographic of Jude. Uh got the little coffee table book too. Uh but then we move right into the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. Ocarina of Time. Are these in order? Dude, these are in order. We didn't even mess with like a nah. We just like. Um so Ocarina Time, I think I played on the 3DS, but you probably played NSO. 100%. Uh Skyrim. So the Skyrim I played on the PC, but then that says oops, we're going off of Switch games. Uh Bachelor Party. But you have Skyrim I just got to be able to do that. The whole the homie I don't, but the homie ace at my bachelor party was like half conscious, just being a barbarian, barreling things, smashing things, passing out. That was a fun memory. Uh, I played, and I think you probably did too, Dead Cells, which was episode eight on the Switch. Sure did. That was also an honorable mention for me because I I do love that game and it was very much like accessible via the handheld and everything. It's a good game on there. Episode nine, Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Alex: 1:02:52

Pew Pew.

Luke: 1:02:53

Uh we're gonna skip a couple episodes. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder's Revenge, episode 12. That was sick on that. That was a great game. Another cool like co-op game where we got together with uh none other than Ace, but didn't he just like unannounced drop in from the cabinet? Like it was open, and all of a sudden he's like, yo, let me in, and we're like, whoa! That was fun. That was fun. Uh let me see. Then we jump into some of the things. Did you play Portal and Portal 2 on uh I played on the PC, but those uh those were half switch? Much to Tyler's delight. And public campaigning and private campaigning. Super Mario World, I played that via NSO. Same. I would never have beat it without it. Uh that's episode 16. I kind of love the NSO for playing hard old games because I can actually, you know, on my own goddamn terms. Uh Bloodstained Curse of the Moon. That was a Switch game for me. Yes. I think you too. Yeah. Uh let's see, Celeste. I played on the Switch, much to uh the chagrin of my Joy-Cons. Uh when I first saw we played, I started Celeste, um, probably around the panty. Uh that's how I actually got like stick drift or whatever. Got him fixed. Smacking it around. And I apparently did not respect the I just went for it again. But but they're okay. So we're alright. There we go. Uh Witch of Witcher 3 Wild Hunt. Uh, that was a half switch for me. Uh that was episode 21. Let's see. The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, episode 24. Super Mario Land 2, Six Golden Coins, probably in NSO for you. Correct. Episode 26, Dredge. I did that on the Switch. As did you, I believe. Maybe not. Xbox. Oh, you did that on Xbox. Right on. Uh well, half half switch. Donkey Kong Country, another one that I did on the Switch via NSO. Once again, on my own terms. Uh Sea of Stars. Sea of Stars, I have on the Switch. I actually did that via Xbox because it was on Game Pass at the time. But I did buy the physical copy for the Switch. Uh Grease. Grease. That's probably what we were calling it on the episode, but Greece. Um that's episode 29. Played that on the Switch. Uh how about you? Where did you play it? I don't remember. Was it a Game Pass game? Might have just done it on the game. Yeah, it could have been. I owned a digital copy on the Switch. I played it there. Uh The Lost Crown, Prince of Persia, episode 32. That I did on the Switch. I believe you did that on Xbox. Um let me see. So you can kind of see that Swiss is we were super heavy, and that was like in the heat of before we had the new consoles and before, yeah. But for the Echoes of Wisdom, episode 39. Good game. Uh Kirby 64, Crystal Shards probably did that on this NSO same. Uh and that is that is the uh that is the Switch list. That's the list. Low five gaming episodes. Cool. So goodbye, sweet prince. You could be around. Be around for a while. There's some games beat on there, but I I've found it hard to keep it going with my streaming day. Fair enough, dude. There's certain games though that's like I mean, all my physical games, I preferred obviously to play it on the Switch because that's what I gotta do with Yeah. Um there are things about like some people like rip on the Joy-Cons. I don't mind them, especially when you've got like the grip or the bras, like as you like to call it. Um they I think I'm just probably maybe I'm just used to them, but I'm more forgiving to Joy-Cons than many people are. Battery life is phenomenal. The the low the battery life is phenomenal. The low sticks, like the I don't I don't mind it, dude. Like, so the sometimes there's certain games where the high sticks on the Steamy D like doesn't feel quite, or it just takes me a little bit more time to get used to. Um but yeah. That's our list, dude. Another low five, top five. Parent, param, param, param. Messing around with the format a little bit. Uh it's been a long one, so I don't even know. Maybe you want to do a quick side quest? Yeah, I'll keep it real quick. Cool. I've just apparently turned into a later in life metalhead demon guy. There you go. I, you know, I tried to talk you into playing Doom Eternal. Yeah. Uh you didn't, but that's okay. I did not. Um I didn't get as far as I wanted to either, so I can't really nag you too far. Uh that game's sick though. Uh I'm playing it, and my wife looks up and she goes, This game is like demonic. And I was like, literally. Sure is. I was like, quite, quite literally, that's actually part of the whole deal. That is like a that is a game that I would like totally play handheld or in my office, or like I just wouldn't, I just wouldn't be able to play that. I wouldn't play it in front of you. Inflicting that upon anyone else. Uh it's sweet on the big old TV though. It's so not my type of game, right? That like it's kind of cool. Like, I just kind of like I never cared about like a linear shooter much, but it has an excellent map. Uh the action it's so aggressive. It's a yeah, and it's a little bit of a dance as far as like you need to constantly move, you need to pull out this gun to do that, you need to pull out that gun to do this newer. You gotta do this thing to reload, you gotta do this thing, or get new ammo, you gotta do this thing to re-get your health, you gotta get this thing to get your armor. So it's a bit of a dance, so it can be a little tiring, but like I feel like they play too heavily into the melee bit. Like you need to like tear people's heads off to like harvest health and ammo. Yes, like a little bit more than I would prefer. Like, I don't mind it, I think it's cool, but like a bit of a dance, yeah. Right. So I but that's that's my only qualm with with the newer Doom games. But it's tight and then transition to uh also picked up Diablo 4, which um I have never played a Diablo. I have some fuzzy memories. Dude, someday I'm gonna get you to play Diablo 1 for the pod. I think after playing Diablo 4, that might not be hard. Yeah, all right. Um, it might be fun to go back. I mean, I certainly think I should check out Diablo 2. It seems to be the most legendary of them all. Uh Diablo 4 never played a game. Some about me. I had a buddy I asked if he had any interest or played it, and he said uh he doesn't like the he couldn't think of the word, but he doesn't he's not has no interest because of the isometric view. Oh, weird. Dude, the older I get, I the reason I did not judge is because I agreed for a long period. And then there's just I don't know if it's just like I love isometric games. Dude, I I love them. I love that diorama look, and like I'm loving I just smack buttons around. My wife had to get up and move because she was reading a book, and like I was didn't have the sound on, I had headphones in for once, I wasn't hitting it dirty for once, and I was smacking the keys so aggressively, she was just like, what? Like the Steamy D is getting wrecked on this thing. But big shout out to Diablo 4, it's instantly addicting. I love it, and the Steam Deck could not be a better device for that game. Perhaps we'll hear more about that later. Not today, though, like in a month. I mean, when yeah, shoot. I can dig it, dude. Loop in demon mode. Just been a demon, I guess. I never thought I was into that goth kind of fantasy aesthetic. Maybe, maybe Elden Ring kind of got me down the dark fantasy road, and here we are. But demons. Yeah, you my my side quests are dude, it's been wild, man. I I mentioned to you, it's like I've been kind of in like a gaming drought. Like I'm still messing with games and stuff, but I've been bopping around a lot and like nothing was hooking, and like I just didn't have like a I made a joke, dude. I Jimmy Butlered you and I was like, just lost my game of joy, dude. Which is like there's a you know I think that's a some gaming Viagra dude he's lost. No, I got I kind of got it back though, for sure, dude. Like that's his dude. Like for sure, baby. It's back, his back, his back, dude. Uh dude, I I rolled the credits on Mafia, which is a uh yeah, dude. That game was uh it was like there's nothing like extremely special about Mafia, but it's like the game I needed to like it was like not terribly long, took me about 12 hours to beat. Is it like a remaster or uh it is a remaster of the original? So it's um I mean so that came out in like 2017, 2018, something like that. Yeah, um, the remaster did. Uh, but it's just a third person like cover shooter basically.

Alex: 1:10:45

Yeah.

Luke: 1:10:46

Uh so and it's linear. I think I really needed a linear game. I've been playing like or trying to play all these open worlds and just like being overwhelmed and like just like the time commitment is too much. We hated linear so much that we overdid the world that's brought us right back to linear. Dude, 100%. I needed it, like just uh the Doom feels good. I'm like, I shoot, I don't listen to storylines or what's going on. And you like, I mean I know you're progressing in like a in an open world, but like, but also it's just too like it's it's too open. Like I needed to be able to push through something. The story in Mafia is pretty good, like the gameplay is pretty good. Like there's like you know, it's very much like middle of the road, like it's not like no one's gonna be like this is the best game of all time, but you know what? It's a game I needed. I love cover shooters too. Like, you know, I'm like I'm a fan of them. People like that game though, like it's got its own following. For sure, it's got a cult following for sure. Um it kind of came out in that GTA, the original, came out in that GTA era. It has people are GTA, they're trying to chase that, and they did a good job of being a bad clone, it's like it's all thing, uh, with a lot of like it has the GTA feel for sure. Um, and I'm uh I listen to a lot of like you know, video game discourse, and I like a lot of people in the in the gaming community, especially the podcast gaming communities that I dabble in, kind of hate on like early Grand Theft Autos. And I'm like, why? I don't understand. As in like three and four and stuff, like oh and five even. No, no, five. I don't even fuck that to be honest. I don't either. But like three and four, dude, like like people that don't like the I think it too, I'm not sure what games they are playing, but like I've definitely heard a lot of folks say that the the button schemes like they don't like. They just haven't aged as well as you'd think for how I remember them. Like San Andreas, I have the crazy fond memories of, but I don't think I'd like to. I mean, I've played I've played like some like I fired up by like on the on the PS Vita or whatever, like Vice City or whatever the Vice City stories, and I understand that like some of the controls are a little weird, but it's not it's not that big a deal. But anyway, do Mafia, and then I was like, I don't know if I want to go right into Mafia 2, but I want to like see a little bit. So I like dabbled to beginning in Mafia 2, and I was like, okay, cool, I'll like come to this in a year or two. I don't know. But I started uh messing around with some other games, and um and then what has stuck is I actually fired up Spider-Man um Marvel Spider-Man, Miles Morales. Yeah, very important to get the Marvels in there because that's like the actual title because they had like a whole Spider-Man series before that. Um so, anyways, Miles Morales though, uh I played Spider-Man Marvel's Spider-Man crash um when it came out for the beast. I enjoyed that game so much, and I was actually thinking about it. It's like actually criminal that it's not on my top ten games list and it might make its way in there the next time we revisit. I almost cried at the end of the story. I know, dude. I know. And Miles Morales is uh I don't know if the story's better, but I will fully admit that like some of the the action, the gameplay, and some of the elements they added to it do it. Have you played Miles Morales? Okay, well, that's good. Uh and uh but I had gotten maybe half of the way through it. It's not a terribly long game. I think you can beat it in about 12 hours or less. Uh yeah, it's like not a DLC necessarily, but it's basically it's its own game, but it's kind of like a DLC, yeah, for sure. Um, but I had gotten at least halfway through it, and it's like one of the most PC gaming things that ever happened to me. Like my save just got like obliterated, like for no reason, just like erased, and I have no idea why. Which is like usually Steam pretty good about that kind of thing. Yeah. But uh yeah, I went like way into my Steam like save files, like the cloud and everything, tried to tried to but I just didn't want to redo it, dude. You know when you lose a game like that that far in, you know, I was just like, you know what? I can't do this again. Yeah, no, I wasn't a Matsu. So like uh you know, so I let it sit for like two, three years or whatever. And then after like playing a little bit of 3D action like cover shooter, I was like, well, maybe maybe I'll fuck around, Miles Maras a little bit. You need that inspo. And it wasn't it's been nice, dude. And I'm three quarters of the way through now. Hell yeah. Yeah, Spider-Man's cool side quest, shock. Well she does. It's been fun another low five top five, little quick side quest. Nice to meet in person. Thanks to y'all for listening. If you made it this far, you're a bucking champion. Pew pew. I don't know. I'm not energy. I'm just giving you pew pew's now. Uh it's all good. It's been a long one, dude. But uh, but thank you. Thank you for listening. Head over to low5gaming.com, buy a fucking t-shirt or something. I'm just gonna update the t-shirts. But uh buy one, god damn it. Do do appreciate you though. Do appreciate you listening. Um rating. To drop any game that you personally feel like should be added to the conversation. There isn't as far as just a game that doesn't need to be a popular one, doesn't need to be your favorite game. But when you think of the Switch, yes, sir, what are your games? Yes, we'd love to know. Uh, there is an invite to the Discord there. We've had a couple people drop in there, uh, which is cool. Uh recent people, I should say. Nice. Um, love that. Love people coming in. Hit me up on the you know, low five gaming on the the social medias as well. But yeah, we'd love to hear. I'm gonna drop in the Discord our list, have a little conversation there if you'd like, if you want to tell us what we miss, what we're out of pocket on, all that kind of fun stuff. Uh yeah, no, I think that's it. Till next time.

Alex: 1:16:08

Bye.