The Nintendo Switch is more than a month old at this point, and people may well have beaten the Zelda horse to death. With a fairly powerful trickle of releases set to make their way on to the system, I am here to spotlight the titles that I wish would hurry up so I can get my hot little hands on them.
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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Coming sooner rather than later, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a sure-fire hit. The original game release on the Wii U was everything someone would expect from a modern Mario Kart, and the Deluxe edition just sees the game get cranked up to hearty 11.
All prior DLC? It’s here baby – with some tasty graphical advances to make the already pretty gameplay experience all the more. All we need is a more robust online infrastructure and my Switch purchase will be more than justified.
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Splatoon 2
Splatoon on the Wii U was a smash hit. The game somehow allowed the Nintendo crowd to get all up in the business of the shooter market, while still having the crazy accessibility and parental approval that comes with a Nintendo game. No blood and gore on offer here, just a messy good time. Unsurprisingly, the sequel has taken everything that made the original game good and handed over a healthy dose of super steroids.
Much like Mario Kart 8: Deluxe, if the online infrastructure holds up for this title then an already popular franchise is going to hit critical mass. The advance version I got to play was already feeling up to par, with some small niggling issues sorted and a very tight motion control assisted aim mechanic that really did make me feel like a crack-shot ink blaster.
Also a wasted opportunity to name it Spla2n.
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Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Have you seen this game? Like, properly seen it? The spiritual successor to the Castlevania of old, it is a beautiful side-scrolling beat ‘em up that hits all the right notes. It was originally slated for release on the Wii U, but the changing tides of development and performance power has seen the release shift to the more powerful Switch. I can imagine Wii U owners being a wee bit miffed, but I can’t help but feel the game will thrive as a pseudo-portable title.
The game is the brainchild of Koji Igarashi, known for his work on Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (a game I basically owned a PSP for) and the development so far is looking super promising. A release date however is goddamn nowhere to be seen, and may well not be for a long arse time.
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Arms
What? Arms isn’t number 1? Don’t be foolish. I may yearn for the spring-ed armed beatdown simulator, but I know where it stands as a general ‘party game’ that one would add to their event schedule for gatherings at one’s house. I have played and enjoyed this game, and know full well that its true strength would come from playing with mates. Or, better yet, watching two people who have never played it before – like elderly people, or children who are also siblings – if only for the delicious conflict.
A lesser known factoid. Not many people know that ARMS is actually a first-party Nintendo title, meaning it is technically a new IP. This could well mean nothing, but it could also mean the inclusion of extending punchables in future titles like Super Smash Bros, or even a cameo from a futuristic Little Mac in a sequel (if it proves itself worthy of a sequel). The game itself does feel a little like a tech demo gone right, with motion mechanics nailed to a degree that the polish applied to the title feels justified. But therein lies its curse – does it have a future beyond a Switch debut?
The version I played at the Nintendo conference in January of this year felt very completed to me, so the last question to be asked is where the hell is it?
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Untitled Pokémon game
According to all ‘reputable’ sources (uncles that work for Nintendo) there is a confirmed, untitled Pokémon game coming to the Switch. Early indications point to some kind of high-definition version of Pokémon Sun and Moon, with rumours mostly coming to bear thanks to asset discoveries in the 3DS versions of the games. Higher definition Pokémon models, un-used animations – just a few of the mysterious hype-builders that have Switch users wondering if they may finally have a true Pokémon game that is designed to be played on their TV (no, the Gameboy cartridge adaptors for the SNES/N64 don’t count).
Considering in the past, Gamefreak have adamantly stated that the vision of the Pokémon series was a game that travels with you, the Nintendo Switch may finally be the loophole Nintendo needs to get a title on a ‘home’ console.
As outlined in my Switch review, the software titles still seem to be main niggling point for the system. People may be breaking screens or losing Joycons, but those of us who are stupidly careful with our new friend are just jonesing hard for more stuff to play.
Personally, I am also looking forward to the online options allowing Nintendo the chance to maybe offer sales in the eShop, as snap purchases do wonders for making me try new stuff. Onward and upward Nintendo – I am rooting for you once more!
Don’t let me down.
Known throughout the interwebs simply as M0D3Rn, Ash is bad at video games. An old guard gamer who suffers from being generally opinionated, it comes as no surprise that he is both brutally loyal and yet, fiercely whimsical about all things electronic. On occasion will make a youtube video that actually gets views. Follow him on YouTube @Bad at Video Games
