Let’s be honest, Nintendo nailed its E3 showcase this year — the company showed off a new Metroid Prime game that has fans screaming with excitement and showed off new games for its hybrid console for the rest of 2017 and beyond. It seems as though the company has learned from the massive droughts on Wii U and is not prepared to let the Switch experience the same fate.
In a recent interview, Nintendo of America's president and chief operating officer, Reggie Fils-Aime, admitted that the company wants as many third party games as possible to come to the Switch and claimed that if fans have thought about a franchise coming to the console, the Big N have thought about it too.
This got us thinking at T3 and pushed us to come up with a list of third-party games we want to see on Nintendo’s latest console to fill in the gaps between big Nintendo first-party releases, and here they are:
Assassin's Creed
After a brief hiatus the Assassin’s Creed series is back and looks to have taken on board the criticisms that came with the previous entries in the franchise. Egypt is a setting that fans have wanted for years and it’s finally come and my god does it look gorgeous. The country looks incredible with immense detail down to the smallest grain of sand. The game has added a new arena mode where you can battle it out against Egypt’s toughest foes and includes the ability to use an eagle as a reconnaissance plane to scout ahead.
The Assassin’s Creed series would be perfect on Nintendo’s handheld and although some graphical compromises would have to be made, Ubisoft could surely get Origins running on Nintendo’s latest system. Imagine how incredible it would be to start sailing the River Nile at home and finishing off the voyage on the go.
Far Cry
While Nintendo is on the phone to Ubisoft, it would be rude if they didn't enquire about getting a Far Cry game on the Switch. Sure, Far Cry 5 looks incredible and it would be awesome to climb towers and take outposts on the go, but even if it turns out the technical limitations of the Switch don’t allow for the newest instalment of the series to make its way over to the hybrid console, there’s nothing stopping fan favourites like Far Cry 3 delivering an awesome experience both on the go and at home.
Injustice 2
The Nintendo Switch is great for its pick up and go form factor — that means it’s perfect for a ton of well-honed fighting games like Injustice 2, and if the first managed to make its way over to the PlayStation Vita, then there’s no reason the second instalment can’t come to the Switch.
Injustice 2 delivers a single-player story that doesn't conform to the tradition that all superheroes are good people, instead it does something different with the incredible roster of characters that make an appearance in this one. The over-the-top super-moves that were the highlight of the first Injustice are back and are crazier than ever. This game also lends itself to local multiplayer that the Switch has so far delivered laudably.
Fallout
So we know that Skyrim is coming to the Switch and features exclusive content on the Nintendo platform, but how about Bethesda delivers something for those that don’t like the fantasy worlds of The Elder Scrolls series? Fallout would be a perfect fit here.
Fallout 4 was met with a mixed reception when it released in 2015 with many criticising the game for not doing much new with the trademark post-apocalyptic formula. But being able to venture out of a vault and explore the Wasteland either at home or on the go would be incredible. What’s more is that it doesn't even have to be Fallout 4, fans of the series would jump at the excuse to replay either Fallout 3 or New Vegas. The Switch needs to come out of vault 101.
Wolfenstein
You don’t have to be a history buff to appreciate the alternate history story line of the Wolfenstein where the Nazi’s won World War II and have created an army of machines to help them keep a tight grip on the world. 2014 saw BJ Blazkowicz come out of his incredibly long coma and pick up a machine gun again, and it was incredibly well received. Now, a sequel has been announced in the form of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, either, or both of these games have to come to the Switch and deliver an incredible first-person-shooter experience on the go.
Grand Theft Auto 5
Sure, Grand Theft Auto 5 is already one of the best selling games of all time and has cemented Rockstar’s place on the open world throne. However, we haven't had the GTA experience on a handheld console since the PSP days so it’s time for GTA 5 to come to the Switch. Surely Rockstar wouldn't turn down an opportunity to sell even more copies of the widely acclaimed game.
Rockstar performed a technical marvel when they released GTA 5 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 back in 2013 by creating a game that was incredibly vast while also being one of the best looking games on the 360 and PS3. If Rockstar could perform the same technical wizardry with the Nintendo Switch it would surely be a favourite among owners of the system.
Batman
In 2009 Rocksteady Studios threw the notion that all licensed games were made under short development cycles and were just cash-in’s out the window with Batman Arkham Asylum. The Metroidvania game created an incredibly realistic interpretation of Batman and featured super exploration and boss battles to remember.
A remaster was made of the first two Rocksteady games in the form of Asylum and Arkham City that was released in 2016. Having either of these two games on the Switch would suit the system perfectly — being able to glide, fight and use Batman’s wealth of gadgets on the commute to work is exactly what the Switch needs.
Call of Duty
For all the faults the Call of Duty series has had in the past, it has always nailed how a first person shooter should feel. Activision needs to replicate that on the Nintendo Switch and allow players to get their Call of Duty fix on the hybrid system.
Call of Duty has certainly gone back to its roots this year with Call of Duty: WWII taking a U-turn from the futuristic settings of recent entries into the franchise and going back to the 1940s for the first time since 2008. The Switch lends itself perfectly the series’ signature multiplayer with both local and online options fitting the system like a glove. Nintendo needs to get the best feeling first person shooter on its new console.
Hitman
Not many were certain that an episodic version of a new Hitman game would work when Io Interactive announced the newest entry into the experimental assassination series. However, what’s unquestionable about this latest entry is that being thrown into a huge map with a wealth of ways to take out your targets is as fun as it’s ever been.
The six episodes of Hitman took the black suit and red tie from Paris to Marrakesh with each containing a ton of disguises, weapons and methods to kill either guns blazing or completely unnoticed.
Bioshock
The words ‘Would you kindly?’ took on a whole new meaning when Bioshock released in 2007. The game is one of the best ever made and would be perfect on the Nintendo Switch. A remaster for the series came out last year in the form of BioShock: The Collection that featured both the original and Infinite, both of which could run on the Switch without question. Being able to experience these titles at home with the ability to continue the story of Rapture and Columbia on the go would be awesome.
Need for Speed
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an incredible racing title, but for something featuring a little more nitrous, takedowns and car customisation, Need for Speed Payback is the perfect fit. The latest iteration in the Need for Speed franchise looks like the Fast and Furious game that fans of the series have always wanted with an emphasis on heist-esque missions taking place at three figure speed limits that are just one of the adrenaline fuelled activities you can do in Payback.
Having a different kind of racer on the Nintendo Switch would be great for the system and add some much needed diversity which is essential for any new system.
Borderlands
Okay, this one should be a no-brainer, especially as a port of Borderlands 2 was made for the PlayStation Vita, and although that was technically stripped back, it shows that anything is possible when porting games over to systems that don’t pack as much horsepower as others on the market.
Borderlands’ exploration and loot driven gameplay lends itself perfectly to the handheld mode of the Switch as you can jump into the world of Pandora for a quick looting session then jump back out again. Also, with Borderlands 3 to surely be announced at some point in the near future, having a prior entry in the series on the go would get people in the shooting and looting mood. We want to see the Gearbox’s signature deluge of weapons available on Nintendo Switch.
FIFA
I’m sure you’re already thinking ‘Hey, there’s already a FIFA game coming to the Switch!’ However, EA has confirmed that FIFA for Switch will not be using the Frostbite engine that is powering both the Xbox One and PS4 versions of the football sim. The Switch shouldn't have a PlayStation Vita-esque version of the game and should instead be the full-fat FIFA that everyone loves featuring the exact same modes and features from the other console releases.
The Switch lends itself to competitive local multiplayer and having the console version of FIFA on the go would lead to many pulling out their Switches to see who really is the king of the pitch. Let’s hope that if FIFA for Switch sells well that EA will make a version for Switch with parity to the other console instalments.
