January; the time of the year when everyone is cold, hungover, and looking for a deal.
However, Nintendo Switch owners don’t need to leave the safety of the sofa to find something new to play, as the big N has a staggering selection of games on offer as part of its New Year eShop Sale. But the sales tab on the Nintendo eShop is like diving into a bargain bin the size of an Olympic swimming pool, you say, well fear not gentle reader, for we have plumbed the depths of gaming's most disorganised digital bazaar to find you all the best deals.
The headliner of the sale is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which has had its price slashed to £33.29. Great news for the handful of Switch owners that don’t own it. Fun fact: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold 48.41 million copies but continues to frequently top sales charts. This begs the question, who is still buying this game?
Next on the block, we have the delightful remake of the Gameboy classic, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, also at £33.29. It may not be as grand as Breath of the Wild. But what it lacks in scope it more than makes up for in style and storytelling. It also has one of the most WTF endings of any Zelda game. Come for the charming toybox visuals and improved controls; stay for the closest thing we will probably ever see to Mario Maker: Zelda edition.
If you’re more a fan of gaming’s greatest place-holder, may I entice you with Kirby’s Dream Buffet at under a tenner? £9.39 to be precise. It's not quite Kirby and the Forgotten Land, but this Fall Guys-style spin-off is an absolute blast if you’re looking for something simple to play with your kids, or just want to have a game and a Guinness with a few friends. A word of warning though, you will have a craving for patisserie-grade cake by the end of it.
Classic games at rock-bottom prices
I was going to call this section games for less than the price of a pint. But then I remembered how much a pint costs in London these days.
Anyway, if you’re looking to plug some holes in your collection, or want to play some amazing games for less than a large late at your favourite coffee shop, or alcoholic beverage at your local pub. (outside of London) here are our picks.
Fans of seeing children with giant heads being brutalised by Spiders should certainly nab Limbo for only 89p. The bag of sweets you’ll inevitably scoff while exploring its dangerous and foreboding world cost more. Then once you’re done with Limbo you can play through its mind-bending follow-up, Inside, for a whole £1.79.
If you’re in your mid-30s and longing for those halcyon days when Konami made some of the best games around, the Castlevania and Contra collections are a great deal at £3.19 each. Both collections are stuffed with content, great extras and give you the ability to rewind play at the press of a button. You may even finally, 30 years after you first played Simon’s Quest, get to see the chuffing ending. Or you could just play Contra 3 again. Because Contra 3 is ace.
If you fancy taking a trip through the history of the FPS genre for under 30 notes. Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary WorldTour is only £1.59, Nightdive Studios’ phenomenal port of Quake is £3.19 and you can play through the entire Doom series including Panic Button's miraculous ports of Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal for only 22.78.
However, if some modern Lucas Arts-styled adventures are more your speed, the hilarious Deponia collection is only £3.59, or you could Return To Monkey Island (for 17.99) Is Fallout a little too hopeful for you? Wonder what life back in the USSR would be like if the bombs fell? Then the superb Metro 2033 Redux is only £4.49.
If you’re more of a fan of bright, beautifully painted worlds the incredible Ori series can be yours for a mere £12. The Blind Forest is £5.62 and Will of the Wisps is £6.24. Finally, Civilization 6 is £4.99. That’s right, Civ, on the go. For a fiver.
This is only a smattering of titles contained in the world's biggest bargain bin that is the Nintendo eShop sales tab. We have definitely missed some gems lurking under the layers of shovelware.
If you fancy taking a dive Nintendo's New Year Sale sale runs until Monday, January 8; but knowing Nintendo the mid-January sale spectacular will be just around the corner.
