Nintendo is Great is devoted to exploring the world of Nintendo - their games, their consoles, their merchandise - in mostly chronological order, from the NES to the Switch 2.
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At the time of this post, the Switch 2 has been out for about two months now, and I constantly hear talk about how the Switch 2 has “no games” or “needs to have games if it wants to survive.” So let’s debunk this business, shall we?
In the last two months, the console has already amassed 39 games according to Wikipedia.
Of these 39 games, 23 are ports of older titles. Some of these ports, like Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut, include brand-new material not seen in other versions. Some, like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are labeled “Switch 2 Editions” because of enhanced graphics, higher framerates, etc. The bulk of the older games, however, do not include any new features.
8 of these titles are brand-new games that are not Switch 2 exclusive. These include Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, Shadow Labyrinth, and Arcade Archives: Ridge Racer.
This leaves 8 Switch 2-exclusive games. They are: Fast Fusion, Mario Kart World, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, Shine Post: Be Your Idol! (a Japan-exclusive), Survival Kids, Donkey Kong Bananza, the just announced campfire sim Chillin’ By The Fire and the awkwardly titled visual novel, Dear me, I was….
This does not include the overwhelming Switch 1 backlog that most of us have, stuffed to the brim as it is with good games.
And yet, many of us are not satisfied.
As the Switch 1 proved, the majority of Nintendo console owners want new Nintendo games, with a smattering of indie titles here and there, not watered-down third-party ports. Yeah, maybe we’ll play a neutered Switch version of Witcher 3 or DOOM or Hogwarts Legacy in the airport from time to time, but these are the exceptions not the rule.
So far, Nintendo has given us a brand-new Mario Kart game that people are tired of playing and a brand-new Donkey Kong game that people have somehow already completed. Far be it from me to judge people’s gaming habits, but… how can we be sick of these recent titles already?
We are sick of them, but we are deceived. Our sickness comes not from the games themselves, but from our constant need to be entertained every moment of every day. These games – all games, really, even the best ones – delight and satisfy until they don’t and we’re left wanting more again. Maybe it’s not games, maybe it’s the latest Netflix tripe or eight-hour lo-fi playlists or whatever your digital poison may be. The majority of us are consuming way above our capacities right now, and it’s not making us any happier; quite the opposite, in fact.
If only we could slow down and enjoy life, remember what it was like to own the handful of games that you played over and over as a kid, maybe, just maybe, we’d find some satisfac-
(Hey! Where’s my shiny new bauble, Nintendo? So help me, you better not say Drag x Drive! You date Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and you date it yesterday, you hear me?! I need a FIX!)
… ahem.
At any rate, Nintendo held a Partner Direct a few days ago on July 31st. New games for Switch 2, all of them released by third-parties. Those fancy new Nintendo-developed games you’re looking for? You’re gonna have to wait just a little longer… partner.
I’m going to go through each of the game’s announcements one by one (as I have done in the past), then we’re going to talk about my overall thoughts and feelings on the Direct itself.
Let’s begin!
MONSTER HUNTER STORIES 3: TWISTED REFLECTION
Anyone else thought they were watching the new Hyrule Warriors trailer at the beginning? Then the title shows up – “Capcom Presents…” – and we’re jolted straight awake into generic anime land. The graphics look very similar to the Breath of the Wild style, though, right? I’m not the only one?
This sequel to Monster Hunter Stories 1 + 2 looks just fine, but I haven’t played the first two yet, so I legally can’t play this one. All things decently and in order, after all.
ONCE UPON A KATAMARI
Alright Nintendo/Namco, ya got me. A new non-mobile Katamari game coming out of nowhere, the first one in 14 years since Touch My Katamari released on the ill-fated PlayStation Vita. This is fantastic news.
I’d say I’ll be there day-one for the ball-rolling, giant squid-collecting antics, but really Bandai Namco, no Switch 2 version at all? A brand-new Katamari game (which is also releasing on modern hardware like PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, by the way) will run at unacceptable frames-per-second on the original Switch. Switch owners are all sorta used to that, I suppose. But that doesn’t mean Switch 2 owners don’t deserve to help the young prince roll up all known worlds and galaxies into a giant ball so our narcissistic, overbearing father will finally approve of us.
JUST DANCE 2026 EDITION
TIL that Ubisoft still makes Just Dance. I did a little more digging and apparently the Just Dance series is the best-selling music videogame franchise of all time?! I knew they were popular, but dad gum, no wonder they keep making new ones.
With this latest iteration, at long last, we’ll pay to have the right to dance like fools to “All Star” by Smash Mouth and “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic.
DRAGON BALL: SPARKING! ZERO
I’ve never played a good Dragon Ball game before, but from what I hear, the more recent fighting games are excellent, especially if you’re into the Dragon Ball lore.
Over-the-top explosions, lengthy diatribes, and lots of yelling all seem to be in ample display here. Fight on, you crazy diamonds!
PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES: REPLANTED
Another popular franchise I’ve never played, though the gameplay shown in the trailer – rows of plants spitting at waves of zombies – looks like it could be very addicting.
Even if Plants vs. Zombies isn’t your thing, the trailer is worth watching. Very cute with excellent animation.
EA SPORTS FC 26
Once upon a time, in the old days, multiple soccer games existed. There was FIFA, of course, but there was also International Superstar Soccer and, uh, Mega Man Soccer. Probably some others too.
Now, there is just EA Sports FC 26, which is the clunkiest name for a soccer game that will sell ten million copies.
(And before all you football fans post in the comments about Konami’s eFootball being a thing, it’s not currently available on Switch. If you want to play licensed soccer on Switch, you have to sell your soul to EA in the digital agreement every time you open the game).
PAC-MAN WORLD 2 RE-PAC
Everything old is new again or at least has a glossy coat of HD paint.
The Pac-Man World remaster must have sold fairly well, as here we have the sequel. It indeed looks like a 2000s-era 3D platformer with Pac and friends, albeit shinier than you might remember.
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – THE IVALICE CHRONICLES
At long last! The Final Fantasy Tactics remake is nearly upon us!
If you haven’t played this 1997 PS1 game and you like turn-based strategy, my word, you’re in for a treat. Turn off the new voices and let the immersive tactics wash over you.
PERSONA 3: RELOAD
Another remake, this time of the beloved Persona 3.
You’re just an ordinary high school student, trying to hit the books and woo the ladies. Once midnight strikes, however, you search dungeons, take down demons, and… shoot yourself in the head to summon your own demons.
Yeah, Persona 3 is odd, and this remake has already been available for a year and a half on other consoles, but it’ll probably do well on Switch 2 just the same.
HYRULE WARRIORS: AGE OF IMPRISONMENT
The third Hyrule Warriors game, with this one taking place before the events of Tears of the Kingdom. It looks appropriately melodramatic and ridiculous, with each character’s attacks taking out scores of enemies. Best of all? Unlike Age of Calamity, which really struggled on Switch 1, this game seems to run smoothly when the on-screen action gets intense. At least the trailer makes it look that way. Here’s hoping the vague “Winter” release date isn’t as far away as it sounds.
EA SPORTS MADDEN NFL 26
Finally, the reason we all bought a Switch 2: to give EA all of our money. EA Sports Madden NFL 26 is the first Madden title to launch on a Nintendo platform since Madden NFL 13 all the way back on the Wii U, and I suppose a moderately-sized contingent of football/Nintendo fans are happy about that.
CHILLIN’ BY THE FIRE
…That sound you hear during the Chillin’ By The Fire trailer is me sighing the biggest sigh.
God bless you if a campfire sim if your thing, but this just looks so nondescript and uninteresting to me. And the Nintendo Direct provides a shocking amount of time to it, as if it’s a big deal. I guess it kind of is, since for now, it’s one of the few Switch 2 exclusives and it does use GameChat which honestly looks a little terrifying in this trailer.
If Chillin By The Fire was a free or nearly-free little curio, that’d be one thing, but this game costs $14.99, five dollars more than Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour for those keeping score.
For a game where you put logs onto a fire place, light them, and try to keep the fire going… I don’t know, man. I understand relaxing, but I’d rather just light a real fire and ponder the meaning of existence there.
APEX LEGENDS
Apex Legends was a true hit during the pandemic, but the game’s been losing a significant amount of its player base in the last couple years. Apparently it’s doing well enough to bring to Switch 2, but I’m still a little surprised to see it here.
HELA
This game where you play as a mouse with a frog backpack looks so quaint and charming, but why is the mouse a witch’s familiar? Why can’t the mouse just be… a mouse?
STAR WARS OUTLAWS
Star Wars Outlaws might be a fantastic game, but I am so sick of the “Star Wars” brand that I will likely never play it.
CRONOS: THE NEW DAWN
I used to love horror games in my 20s, with Fatal Frame and Silent Hill being my two favorite series. These days, I’m considerably more squeamish and affected by psychological horror than I used to be, so I doubt I’ll be playing Cronos. That said, the game looks epic, for those who can stomach it.
YAKUZA KIWAMI 1 AND 2
Official third-party sales numbers must not be that bad, if Sega’s already bringing out Yakuza Kiwami 1 and 2 so soon after Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut. I expect to see the entire Yakuza saga on the Switch 2 in due time.
MONTAGE TIME
GOODNIGHT UNIVERSE – telepathic baby disrupts family life
NBA BOUNCE – bobble head basketball players square up against team mascots
HELLO KITTY ISLAND ADVENTURE – WHEATFLOUR WONDERLAND – adorable Sanrio characters frolic in wheat fields
ROMANCING SaGa 2: REVENGE OF THE SEVEN – anime prince reclaims throne while fighting creepy clown demons
SHINOBI: ART OF VENGEANCE – Joe Musashi doesn’t look like he’s aged a day.
BORDERLANDS 4 – get those punk fingers out of my face, bro.
THE ADVENTURES OF ELLIOT: THE MILLENNIUM TALES
This new HD-2D action/RPG from Square has a title that sounds like a straight-to-DVD kids movie you’d find in those $5 Walmart bins.
Anyway, HD-2D is so enchanting to me, I’ll play just about any game Square Enix wants to make in that style. That said, Adventures of Elliot looks like a lot of what we’ve seen before. Real-time battles, different weapon types, upgrade weapons, fairy companion, etc. Apparently, the game spans a legitimate thousand years, which of course brings back Chrono Trigger vibes and makes me want that game in HD-2D.
OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0
The first two Octopath Traveler titles have been on my must-play list for years now and this one looks no less whimsical. Argh! So many games!
FIN
And at under thirty minutes, the Nintendo Partner Direct is complete.
Are we not underwhelmed? Well… not really. To me, the Switch 2 feels like where the Switch 1 left off.
Massive third-party games, like Madden, Borderlands 4, and Cronos all made an appearance.
Quirky indie titles were well-represented with Chillin’ By The Fire and Hela.
Long-awaited older games, like Persona 3: Reload and Yakuza Kiwami, are arriving within the next couple months.
And newer, presumably Switch 2-exclusive titles like Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment and Monster Hunter Stories 3 are also coming soon.
So what’s the problem? I don’t know. I’m still working my way through Mario Kart World and DK Bananza. I’ve barely touched Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, and not because I’m not interested. I’m too busy! My gaming time is too limited! I must prioritize.
Do we really want a deluge of brand-new games every month, each one vying for our increasingly fractured attention? Do we need this in our lives?
Pick a game, one single game. Take your time. Enjoy the journey. Believe it or not, there is no rush. By the time you’re finished, who knows? Switch 2 may finally have something else you’ll want to play.
*images courtesy of NPR and GamesRadar
Couldn't agree more. It's the symptom of a gaming culture that's gotten used to buying £2 Steam Summer Sale games by the handful and having a 'backlog.'
Why buy things and then not play them?
The Switch 2 is just the newest in my console line-up, I don't really expect anything from it besides upcoming releases and good performance, if I feel bored of modern titles (which I often do) I just return to the past. I think Nintendo has given more than enough but that Switch 2's third party line-up has serious logistical issues that mean I'm still turning to PC 100% of the time for those.
As the foolish fanboy I am, my biggest reaction when I saw this Nintendo Direct was "Namco is back, baby!" when I saw the Once Upon a Katamari and Pac-Man World Re-Pac 2 announcements. But despite having a copy o the first Re-Pac on Switch, I new I would be playing both these games on other platforms.
Honestly, I really want to have good reasons to buy a Switch 2, but I'm still thinking that I can wait to play Mario Kart World and DK Bananza a little longer.