Ten video games have received nominations for the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. This program celebrates media works that feature "fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and the issues that affect their lives." There are nominees for television, film, music, theater, journalism and comics as well as video games. One of the 2024 nominees for outstanding video game is the re-release of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door for the Nintendo Switch. The original Japanese version of the GameCube title included a minor character named Vivian who was transgender. The game contained dialogue about her challenges being misgendered and her journey to understanding her own identity.

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. The Nintendo Switch is undoubtedly a less powerful games machine than the PS5, Xbox Series S/X, or a top-of-the-line gaming PC. But for Nintendo, power has never really been the point. Games developed for the Switch series never lacked for visual innovation or the artistic flourishes necessary to create inarguably beautiful worlds whose visuals fully justify playing on a really large TV. From 2.5D to watercolors, living animation to sci-fi universes, the Nintendo Switch can easily be a feast for the eyes. Almost three years ago, the Nintendo Switch OLED upped the aesthetics ante for handheld gaming. Now, with the Nintendo Switch 2 (and its backward compatibility) officially confirmed for a 2025 release, you're revisiting the age-old question: What are the best Nintendo Switch games that justify playing on your big screen? Well, we've collected the best games to buy now right here. Nintendo's first-party games are legendary for their quality and often take advantage of their respective consoles better than most third-party titles. The Switch has no shortage of games designed by Nintendo, and most rank amongst the best this system offers.

Limitations can, paradoxically, be a boon for artists. Such was the case with the original Paper Mario on the Nintendo 64. The system could handle only so many polygons, and it's difficult to make a collection of polygons cute, so Nintendo opted to design a world around simple, flat planes. A paper RPG brought to life, the game had a design that was so iconic that it has stood the test of time. Surely, a modern high-definition remake would undermine that, right? If it hadn't been for the 2019 remake of 1993's The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, it would've been easy to doubt that a graphical upgrade could improve an older classic.

But the 2007 release of "Super Paper Mario" on the Wii and its choice to drop encounter-based battles heralded a split in fan reception early in the series' lifespan. The major rift came in 2012 with the release of "Paper Mario: Sticker Star" on the Nintendo 3DS. Gone were the charming personalities, the leveling system and the emotional story elements; in its place, the game featured a roster of generic characters thrown into a dumbed-down version of the original game's combat system that was stripped of player experimentation. And although the 2016 entry "Paper Mario: Color Splash" made an effort to home in on the series' trademark humor, the Wii U game's remix of the series' classic battle system ultimately fell flat.

Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, video games remain a hobby that can be enjoyed at home. If the shortage of Nintendo Switch consoles is any indication, people nationwide made stay-at-home orders easier by jumping into virtual worlds. Another sign that gamers are turning to their controllers: Consumer spending on video game software, hardware, accessories and other related goods in May rose 52% to $977 million, the highest amount for the month in 12 years, according to research firm The NPD Group. Summer is also the time when video game devotees learn what is in the pipeline. But most of the industry's quintessential summer showcases – The Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, in particular – have been canceled due to the threat of the virus, leaving gamers to get industry news from primarily online sources.