Zelda Breath of the Wild or Mario Odyssey

Fat chance either of these unseat Splatoon 2, but given the need for a gift with the upcoming holiday...which of these two is the one to go with?

Go to Target this week. Buy 2 get 1 free. Buy BOTW/Splatoon 2 and get Mario Odyssey for free.

I wasn't clear...we already have Splatoon 2. The reason we own a Switch.

I do like the idea of two for one though...so what goes with Zelda:BotW and Mario Odyssey? Arms?

I haven't played Arms, but it seems like a bit of a one trick pony.... you might consider Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. I'm enjoying it.

I think that Pokemon/Tekken mashup may be the third title...

Still, you know there's a part of me thinking I need not get sucked into a 2 + 1 sale and just buy 1. If I go that route...Mario or Zelda?

I have both but I'm seeing if I can hold out to Christmas to play Odyssey with the kids. I probably won't make it. But I'm pretty sure it is solid gold. Even without playing it, I would probably choose it over BOTW. BOTW is an utterly magnificent, beautiful game that I am just not that into. I'd honestly rather play A Link Between Worlds or Wind Waker again. I like the traditional Zelda format better. And I'm just not into any kind of crafting.

Arms is pretty fun, but I think it would be more satisfying and resonant as a $25 download title. Very unique, very Nintendo.

Pokken is FUN. I don't have the Switch version, but we played the Wii U one for a while. It's a very simple, easy to play fighting game. Closer to Smash in terms of complexity. If your kids are into Pokemon, it's pretty much a sure bet.

The Mario Rabbids game is BRILLIANT. So, so good. It is a Mario turn based Skirmish game. But also nonviolent!

The other titles I was thinking about for ours were Mario Kart 8 and Bomberman, but we have the Wii U of the former and they play the latter on PS4 so probably not on those.

DOOM is coming out for it...which I will actually rebuy even though I have it on PS4. Because DOOM is probably the best shooter I've ever played.

Mario is a perfect mix of 64 era collectathon and Galaxy style puzzles.
Zelda is a throw back to the original with the ability to go anywhere at any time.

Both are excellent games, you honestly cannot go wrong with either. The only thing that Mario does better than Zelda is that you can play Mario coop. Player two plays the hat and they can run off and attack enemies or collect coins without fear of dying. Perfect for a young kid to play with a parent.

Arms is a hoot and one of my more played Switch games. But you do need two sets of joycons to play it. With the "recent" adding of remapping, the game took off in my local competitive scene. But it will never make a huge impact and it is very Nintendo making Virtual On.

I haven't played the Switch one, but Fire Emblem games are pretty consistently high quality and fun strategy RPG games. One to look into for a freebie.

bfkiller wrote: I haven't played the Switch one, but Fire Emblem games are pretty consistently high quality and fun strategy RPG games. One to look into for a freebie.

The switch one is a Musou game, so Dynasty Warriors with Fire Emblem characters

Michael Barnes wrote: Go to Target this week. Buy 2 get 1 free. Buy BOTW/Splatoon 2 and get Mario Odyssey for free.

Sadly, the Target sale specifically excludes all Switch games, which is why I won't be buying anything during it.

Whaaaaaaaaaat? I swear the ad shows Switch titles????

Mario, 100%.

I gave in and played Mario Odyssey last night for about two hours. Played again for an hour and a half this morning

No contest. SMO over BOTW.

SMO is, speaking without hyperbole, in that "best game of all time" strata even after just the short time I've had with it. Once again, it has that special magic that you can only get in a Nintendo game. It's almost too perfect. The design is impeccable, and the way it signals you to do something, look at things, or explore in areas _without telling you anything_ is just amazing. It is like the first part of world 1-1, where the only tutorial you need is a Goomba, a ? box, and a couple of blocks. The story is fun and silly, the hat gimmick is GREAT GREAT GREAT. Especially when you throw it at a photorealistic (!!?!?!) T-Rex and you possess it...and it has a big stupid moustache on it. The world design and character design so far has just been mind-blowingly good. And the way it incorporates some 8-Bit nostalgia segments is just beautiful and genius.

It feels VERY much like Mario 64, it has that same sense of free-ranging proto-open world design sense. But there is no map with tasks on it, no vantage points you have to find, or any crap like that. It's all organically and unobtrusively presented.

I have some reservations about BOTW, but zero about SMO.

Sold.
Mario and Pokemon Fighter for Christmas.

They’re both incredible, two of the best games ever. I think Zelda is the nuts but even so, I’d have to recommend Mario over it. Make sure to play both.