We’ve spoken before about the Nintendo Switch and its identity as not only home/portable console, but also as a system where older games, retro or recent, seem to be given a new lease on life.
The Switch has been given a high volume of ports from this current gen and from the previous two generations of games consoles. It’s almost become a place where games get a second chance, or more accurately where gamers get a second chance to play a game that they may not have had time for when it last came out. Arguably the PS4 and Xbox One has seen just as many ports, but what sets them apart is the Switch’s portability.
For myself, the Switch has allowed me to catch up somewhat. Games like Dragon’s Dogma, FF12 (the HD Zodiac edition) and Darksiders series were all experiences I was dying to try. The Switch has given me the ability to ‘cheat’ on my other system, playing console quality games in places where I could previously only use my Vita or 3DS.
Switch ports also allow us to jump back into classics like Dark Souls, Diablo 3, Skyrim and the Witcher 3. Games that command a lot of time and effort to finish, time we would normally dedicate to new game releases. The ports afford us new habits like playing a recent triple A title on another system, then venturing back into a familiar world during our commute or in bed. The Switch essentially buys us additional gaming time we previously didn’t have.
But what’s missing? There are other games we feel would work well on the Switch. Other titles we feel would be fun on a load train ride or when our better halves or children have hijacked the main TV. There are still so many worlds for us to return to or to experience for the first time. Here are the Nintendo Switch ports we’d love to see in the future:
Final Fantasy 14
The Switch is screaming out for its first major MMO and it makes sense for FF14 to be it. The game has been released on a plethora of platforms and its gameplay really lends itself well to the systems design. With cross play or just dedicated Nintendo servers, a Switch port would bring a legion of new or lapsed fans back into the FF14 world. The online features of the Switch are now up and running and gaining traction. A single player mode is also attracting new players to the game too, so the time to strike is now. It’s only a matter of time until someone else takes this first big MMO spot on the Switch, we feel it deserves to be Square-Enix and FF14 would be amazing on the platform.
Metal Gear Solid 5
With good old Kojima moving on to pastures new and Konami proving utterly incapable of progressing the series without him. No, we’re not mentioning that other game. It seems like the only way to capitalise on MGS now is to release a Switch port of MGS5, truth be told we think it would work rather well. It’s a high-end title, but other equally high-end titles have been shrunk down and ported to the Switch. Its snappy gameplay and base building antics would be right at home on Nintendo’s console. Do a couple of missions on the train, do a few more later. Gather your spoils and spend the points later. Also, we’re reluctant to say goodbye to Snake. Well all the Snakes.
Dragon Age (series)
We all know Dragon Age 4 is coming. What better time to play through the entire series again? Question is who the hell has the time to do all that again? It would be useful if we had an option to play a little here, a little there. A Switch port would mean we could do exactly that. DA1 and DA2 are last gen games and could easily be adapted to the Switch. There wouldn’t be much of an issue porting Inquisition either, it was after all a very early title for this gen. Those who’ve not played the series would also appreciate it. The first two games are fairly dated now compared to modern games. But a well-polished Switch port could be the Mabari War Dog’s wotsits.
Diablo Immortal
We’re cheating a bit here. Diablo Immortal isn’t out yet and is set to be an iOS/Android game only. We’re not against phone games, but the prospect of playing a fully-fledged Diablo game on such a tiny screen while we bash it with our greasy thumbs isn’t our dream Diablo experience. We know Diablo 4 is on the way too, but Immortal does look fun and we’re keen to play it. So how about a Switch release too? iOS and Android games have been ported to the platform successfully before. Asphalt springs to mind so how about it Blizzard?
Grand Theft Auto 5
We’re amazed this hasn’t happened yet. Perhaps Rockstar don’t need to do it. After all the game is successful enough without a Switch port. But we would love to cause some more chaos in Los Santos on a portable basis. Where it may be a challenge to integrate all the GTA Online elements at this point, the base game would surely be no problem for the Switch? Let’s not forget that the game originally came out on the Xbox 360 and PS3, so a slightly watered-down version on the Switch couldn’t be that difficult? We’re also confident it would sell like gangbusters too. Just imagine GTA5 in your pocket. This is Liberty City or Vice city stories on PSP (that were awesome in their own way), no this would be another level, a full on GTA5 that you could take anywhere. Rockstar, if you’re listening, we’ve been ever so good.
