by Doc – Owner, Founder, Actually Does Own All These Games on the Switch
Every year around Black Friday, a bunch of third-party eShop games will go on sale on the Switch, and some of them get really cheap. Games that normally would go for ten or twenty bucks end up getting knocked down to $3-4 if you time it right.
These are a handful of the games I bought last year for a heavy discount that I’ve enjoyed, and recommend you watch for. I bought several others that I didn’t enjoy enough to recommend, so rest assured that I have a pretty high opinion of each of the ones I’ve recommended.
Quake II
Priced at ten bucks today, I bought Quake II last year for $2.50, if memory serves. This game is a very high-octane shooter game that keeps it barebones, and it’s really addicting. If you’re a bit older like myself and don’t care much for the overly complicated mechanics in modern shooters, this one’s for you. Be warned – the game is a bit of a maze, so don’t be ashamed if you spam the “guide” option as you run and gun. Whatever gets you to the next enemy, right?
Oh yeah, and here’s something that’ll make Joe Rogan happy: this game is completely remastered from the ground up, and the content from the various other versions of Quake II have been combined as well. Not only do you get Quake II, you get the extra content from back in the day, plus Quake II 64 and a brand new story mode. This is a great deal for how much it costs.
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Normally $25, I bought SP:UD for I believe about ten bucks last year. I don’t want to spoil anything for you about this game, besides explaining that you should make different choices every time you play. Trust me, it’s worth putting a few hours into.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania
I bought this game at full price when it first released but noticed that it was discounted down to about $30 last year, and if you already like Super Monkey Ball then it’s well worth it. Banana Mania is basically a repackage of Super Monkey Balls 1 and 2 with a store option that lets you reskin characters, unlock modes, and so on. If you’re not already a Monkey Ball fan, then it’s probably not worth $30… but keep an eye on it in case it goes to $20.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Normally $20, this game periodically goes on sale for ten bucks or less (at the time of this writing it’s on sale for $7) and Black Friday won’t be any different. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a hack-and-slash game from back when the genre was still pretty new, and it shows: this is the Wii port of the game, which means it looks like a Wii port. The good news is its motion controls have been upgraded to accommodate the Joy-Cons. The bad news is that nothing else has, so it’s comparable to other games from 2007.
Still, TFU is one of the all-time greats of Star Wars video games, and even in the Disney era it’s worth looking back and seeing the game that gave us Starkiller.
Hopefully you pick up at least one of these games and have a good time with it as you settle in for the winter.
Amiibo Doctor 