Switch 2 Games I’d Like To See

With the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement in January, and a confirmed Direct in April to give more information, excitement is in the air. There’s a lot of games just waiting to be revealed. A lot of games to experience on this new console. But what they are, we have no idea. Except for a Mario Kart. I wanted to give my thoughts on the games I’d like to see come to the Nintendo Switch 2. Whether safer bets or a few wild cards.

And speaking of safe bets, what better place to start than Splatoon. With the tenth anniversary of the series being this year, I’m very much expecting something to come. The most obvious is a new game. After all, Splatoon 4 would be a huge win if it launched in the first year of Switch 2. I’m hoping a fourth game can provide an expansion to the current staples we’ve got.

And so, I’m thinking of one last celebration of what came before. I’m hoping for the original game to escape the confines of the Wii U. But not as a simple remaster. Past, present, future. This idea of mine for bringing the original back builds off what the Grand Splatfest options were. The world of Splatoon has evolved since that first game, with many new maps, weapons, songs… everything. So to just throw it all away for the sake of nostalgia seems silly.

An Inkling fires upon some floating octopus-styled enemies.

At first, it would just be the old stuff. Everything as you remember. For the first month, the game would be celebrating that anniversary with its first season. It would be as if the original Splatoon had never ended. A special celebration Splatfest would also be held in that first month, too. Players could revisit the original game’s campaign. But once the first season was over, new stuff would trickle in.

New songs play, new maps appear, new weapons available to buy. The old and new merging together. And a new campaign. Heading to areas inspired by the campaigns of Splatoon 2 and 3, these are small campaigns that bring in new enemies to face, and new allies to meet. Which builds toward the final few seasons before Splatoon 4 is announced. Including a prologue campaign that introduces what is to come.

Next up, I see some old franchises returning. Franchises which haven’t seen a release for quite a number of years. First of which being Fossil Fighters. This series about finding dinosaur fossils, reviving them, then fighting alongside them was a great time back in 2008. The 3DS release in 2014 I might have overlooked until the Switch was a few years old, but I enjoyed that one, too.

A dark blue triceratops-esque vivosaur fights against a purple T-Rex-esque vivosaur.

Now, the game was reliant on the touchscreen for digging up these fossils. No reason it has to stick with that, however. There’s the regular button controls, motion controls, and now cursor controls. Since the Switch 2 can have its Joy-Con act as a mouse, such can easily fill the role of the touchscreen. Though how much use the mouse mode will get depends on how much Nintendo intend to utilise it. And how easy it is to use.

But even without the mouse mode, there’s sure to be a lot of fun in uncovering fossils. Alongside the battles, which make up the other major part of this series. The turn-based battles offered some great strategizing, what with a certain amount of Fossil Points to be using each turn for the three vivosaurs out on the field. It’s a series I would love to see again, with the power boost from being on a console likely to produce some great places to explore on the hunt for fossils.

From a love of dinosaurs to a love of battling robots, it’s Custom Robo! A series which hasn’t seen a release since the DS. The only one of these games I’ve played. Though considering only the last two of this five-game series released outside of Japan, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise. The DS version was certainly a good time, so I honestly wouldn’t mind if they just remade it.

Two robots fire lasers on each other while on an arena surrounded by lava.

These action-based battles take place in arenas known as Holosseums, where Robos engage in battle using a variety of weaponry. These are enabled through the customisations that can be done to the Robos outside of battle, with many different options depending on the strategy the player feels is best. The small arenas made sure that the battlers were always moving, keeping themselves out of harm’s way while reducing the enemy unit’s health to zero.

I see no reason to change such gameplay, since it was a lot of fun. But, if the game wanted to take on a more traditional third-person gameplay perspective, I wouldn’t mind. As long as it could prove that doing so wasn’t a detriment to the fast-paced arena fighting the series is known for. The tight arena designs that make battles such a joy. Should such fights be just as great from the new perspective, I’m not sure I’d even need much of a story to tie them together. Though this is an RPG series, so one should be there.

Away from RPGs, I just want a new Excite Truck. Is it really too much to ask? That game was such a great racer, with a focus on tricks rather than just coming in first. Blasting across tracks inspired by real world locations, changing a section of track through use of a floating icon to cause mayhem. Collecting a POW icon to become faster, ripping through other racers or skimming near trees for a tree run combo. It was fast, frantic, and also very loose in handling.

Some vehicles drive down a dirt road, with two crashing into each other.

That was the only downside to the game. Though it might have been frantic, it required a precise handle of the motion which controlled it. Turn the Wiimote too hard, and the vehicle would make such a tight turn. Except of course, there’s was such a small gap between neutral and too hard turning, hence the precise handle of the motion. A new game likely wouldn’t be bothering with motion controls, so I suspect the handling would be tightened up a bit.

Though Excite Truck focused on real world inspired locations, I wouldn’t mind a few more fictional ones. Perhaps inspired by Nintendo franchises. Not all the tracks, naturally. But enough that there’s variety between the real and fictional. Excite Truck offered up Scotland, China, Fiji, Canada, Mexico, and Finland as locations, with multiple tracks each. I could see new tracks in those locations, plus new locations in general.

As for fictional locations, the only one that Excite Truck had was Nebula, a very purple looking location full of crystalised structures. Effectively the Rainbow Road of the game, it was the greatest of final challenges. That would return, but the Nintendo franchises I see fitting are those such as Hyrule with Death Mountain (and maybe a bit of Hyrule Fields), the Bionis from Xenoblade Chronicles, and the Phazon Mines from Metroid Prime. Or another suitably cavernous area.

Left: The Red Dino Thunder Ranger attacks an enemy with sparks flying. Right: Toy Sora charges a fire attack to swipe at an enemy.

I fully expect games to come for all of my core franchises. For two of them, that is pretty much certain. For the other two, one seems very likely. The other… Well, we had Rita’s Rewind last year. It was fun, even if not the type of Power Rangers game I was hoping for. A 3D action RPG akin to Kingdom Hearts is something is something I keep hoping to happen. I guess time will tell if that ever happens.

As for Star Wars, the Switch has mostly seen just remasters of the older games. Which, I don’t mind. The likes of Jedi Academy, Force Unleashed, and Republic Commando have been great to revisit on modern hardware. Or play for the first time in the case of some. Across all of these years of Switch, the only new games have been LEGO Skywalker Saga and Hunters. Meanwhile, other consoles have had plenty of new games. It’s time for the Switch 2 to get some of that love.

And not just with ports of those that other consoles have been getting. The first two Jedi games of Fallen Order and Survivor will be great to see come over. As long as the third game also sees a release alongside the other consoles. Depending on when that third game is releasing, it could be that it comes first, with the previous two following after. Though I don’t think that will be the case.

Naturally, I also have to bring Star Wars Battlefront up. The Switch got the original two games thanks to Aspyr, but EA’s Battlefront games are unlikely to see a port. That just leaves me with two hopes. Rebellion are answering my dreams and remaking the PSP Battlefronts, which will get us the closest to an official release of the console version of Battlefront III we’ve ever been. Or a new studio, and a new vision of what Battlefront should be. Or rather, I’d hope an evolution of what Battlefront was.

A building and plaza of Lumiose City shown in a blueprint style of graphic.

Pokémon will have Generation 10 start on the Switch 2. Of that, I am certain. Such will give Legends: Z-A room to find its feet across this year. One of the last releases of the Switch. Whenever it releases. Likely not long to find out, with the next Pokémon Presents very soon. I could see both this game and the Switch 2 releasing around the same time, but I don’t expect a Switch 2 version for Legends: Z-A. Not that it much matters with backwards compatibility.

As for Generation 10, I want a world that’s a joy to explore. One which doesn’t have a giant crater taking up a quarter of the entire surface, and thus making the world one giant loop. I want there to be a lot more to that world, with a lot of things to be taking part in. And furthermore, even if not for the wild Pokémon, a proper level scaling system if keeping things as non-linear as Scarlet and Violet were.

As for spin-offs, I could see a new Pokémon Dash making use of the mouse mode. After all, the swiping motions of that game can easily be replicated by a mouse. But, I still feel a proper on-foot racer in the Pokémon world would be a lot more fun. Make a lot more use of the individual builds of each Pokémon, along with their attacks as abilities to help traverse across the races.

Sonic runs along a purple road created by the enemy he is chasing.

Lastly, we know of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. I’d say there’s a good chance it releases on Switch 2. But, what else for Sonic the Hedgehog? The next main game should be well into development by now. If following the current marketing of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, I would imagine the first tease of it will be at The Game Awards. But maybe, it sees a tease before CrossWorlds has even released.

After all, Frontiers released in 2022, having been teased a year beforehand at the 30^th anniversary event. The next game is said to build on what Frontiers provided. Hopefully with a better range of level themes. I’d also like to see the open world sections expanded on, and rely less on floating platforms and forced 2D segments for challenges. If the next game can deliver on those wishes, I will be very happy with it.

As for what the future brings beyond that next game, which I do expect to release in 2026, I’m sure Sonic Team will be answering some wishes. Whether that be a side game featuring other playable characters, some more remasters, or the long requested Chao Garden return, there’s a lot that can be done to capitalise on the newfound popularity of the franchise. Introduce them to areas of the franchise they haven’t really seen. Which CrossWorlds is already doing with character inclusions such as Cream and Jet.

Whatever the Switch 2 brings us in the first year, I’m certain I’ll be happy. There’s already a new Mario Kart, after all. But aside from that, there’s going to be many more experiences to be enjoying from both Nintendo and third parties. Even beyond the first year, which I expect will be packed, there should be a lot of great games coming. The hype for that new console will truly begin on 2/April, during that Nintendo Direct.

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