ARMS

But this is the closest to a Wii Sports game that the Switch has, even if it's far from casual. And it's a reminder that tough, fast, ultrachallenging Switch games exist... with springy arms attached.

Arms does for fighting games what Mario Kart did for driving games, and the results are absolutely splendid. [Recommended]

Arms is a one-trick pony. That one trick is polished and addictive, with deep minutia worth mastering. What makes it so eminently replayable is each battle’s constant and fluid power struggle; the ah-ha of dodging an opponent’s grab, jumping up and grabbing them; moving that opponent into a vulnerable corner with a boomerang arm; or the exhilaration of landing a slow, large “Megaton” punch. While Arms doesn’t play like a Mario Party mini game, it definitely could be one.

It’s as fundamental as fighting-game fundamentals get, and it’s not afraid to be a punishing teacher. In fact, you can’t even access ranked online matches until you’ve beaten the Grand Prix mode on the fourth difficulty setting, which takes more practice than you’d think, as the AI is shockingly competent and human-like, even on the lower end of the game’s 10 difficulty levels. But when landing punches and outsmarting an overzealous opponent is this satisfying, it’s a pleasure just to learn the ropes.

Arms is great with a friend — but there’s not much to it when you’re on your own.