Nintendo Switch Games You Should Only Buy If They Go On Sale

For reasons that have long remained mysterious, Nintendo has always been highly cagey about discounting games, at least in comparison to the other major platforms. Maybe some of the smaller games on the Switch eShop will get a little discount now and then, but for its first-party software, Nintendo will discount it maybe once in an entire year, if that, and not for very much.

Given the scarcity of these sales, it's all the more vital that you take advantage of them whenever they're present. After all, besides saving you a few bucks off the sticker price, a sale allows you to try out a game you may not have been entirely sold on. Perhaps it's a genre you don't usually play but hear good things about, or maybe it's something you did want to play but couldn't afford all of the DLC along with the base version. 

When those Nintendo Switch sales bubble up, you must pounce on them like a hawk.

2019's "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order" is a highly belated sequel to 2009's "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2" and 2006's "Marvel Ultimate Alliance." Like the previous games in the series, "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3" is a top-down dungeon crawler action RPG, like a simplified version of the "Diablo" games. You have a team of four Marvel superheroes (or conscripted supervillains), taking on waves of foes as you battle through story setpieces, leveling up and unlocking new characters and abilities.

"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3" is a bit overly-rooted in what was popular in the Marvel scene at the time of release, i.e., "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Spider-Man," which means the rest of the merry Marvels get a bit muscled into the background. As much as we like Spider-Man, having him, Spider-Gwen, Miles Morales, and Venom on the playable roster is a bit excessive. If you're a fan of those particular subsets of Marvel, then great, but if you're not, then a discount would make up the difference, especially if you can get some buddies to play it with you.

Initially released in 2015 for the Nintendo Wii U, then remastered for the Switch in 2020, "Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE" is an ambitious, slightly bizarre meshing of the "Fire Emblem" and "Shin Megami Tensei" franchises, set against the backdrop of idol and actor activities in modern-day Tokyo. Every character has a companion "Mirage" drawn from the "Fire Emblem" series that transforms them into a super-powered hero, swinging swords and slinging magic in turn-based combat. The "Encore" version on the Switch also introduces some characters and content unavailable in the original game.

While a good game in its own right, "Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore" is what we like to call an "aggressively niche" game. Not only do you need to have a fondness for turn-based RPGs, but you also need to enjoy "Fire Emblem," "Shin Megami Tensei," and modern idol culture, not to mention tropes and character archetypes you'd typically get in anime. It's hard to justify sticker price if you're not right in the strike zone, but if you can get it for a little bit less, you may be more willing to overlook a cliché or missed reference.

2023's "Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon" is a prequel to Platinum Games' "Bayonetta" series, well-known for its bombastic character action gameplay. This, however, is not a character action game. "Bayonetta Origins" tells the story of Bayonetta in her younger years, when she still went by Cereza, training to be an Umbra Witch and contracting her first Infernal Demon. While there is plenty of action, the game emphasizes problem-solving and exploring by simultaneously controlling Cereza and her partner, Cheshire.

In a vacuum, "Bayonetta Origins" is a perfectly good game, but it's got a couple of significant quibbles. First and most obviously, it's not a character action game, which longtime "Bayonetta" fans may find disappointing. Secondly, while pretty, its minimalistic storybook aesthetic is a bit low-tech in the face of its full-price tag. It's rather telling that, before the game's release, most onlookers assumed it would cost around $30 or less, not double that. That's the kind of pricing you want to shoot for here.

As the newest entry in Nintendo's ambitious crossover fighting game series, 2018's "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" is more or less the definitive version of the concept. Befitting its title, "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" features every single playable character ever included in the series, as well as longtime fan requests like Ridley from "Metroid" and King K. Rool from "Donkey Kong Country." Even if you don't play fighting games much, if you consider yourself a Nintendo fan, this game is pretty much required playing.

All that said, getting the definitive version of the game means buying all of the DLC fighter packs. The two Fighter Pass packs, which include six additional characters each, cost $25 and $30, respectively, and bring significant additions like Banjo & Kazooie and Sora from "Kingdom Hearts" into the mix. On top of the base game price of $60, you're looking at a total of $115 for the whole enchilada. Unless you want to get locked out of the multiplayer's higher tiers, you'd better keep your eyes peeled for a sale.

Good ol' "Mario Party," destroying controllers and irrevocably damaging friendships since 1998. As much as it hurts us, we always seem to return for more. Suppose you want the definitive "Mario Party" experience. In that case, the best available option is 2021's "Mario Party Superstars," a collection of boards and minigames from the earliest (and best) "Mario Party" games with some new quality-of-life improvements. They even put a warning on that one tug-of-war game telling you not to destroy your palm rotating the joystick.

Of course, definitive though it may be, it's still just "Mario Party." Unless you have a gaggle of soon to be former-friends you can coax into playing it with you whenever the interest strikes you, you might not be able to get that much playtime out of it. Sure, you can play by yourself, but what's the fun of "Mario Party" if the players aren't all screaming at each other? If you want to play this game, get it on a sale, and see if you can split the cost with your friends.