Nintendo began its E3 presentation by mentioning that the Nintendo Switch is entering its fifth year on the market. The company then spent 40 minutes showcasing the games we’ll enjoy on the system later this year. Some of those games left us excited, but what’s even more exciting is that it now feels like the stars are aligning for 2022 to be the start of a new Nintendo generation.
Welcome Back, Old Friends
Although I’m a big fan of Mario, Zelda, and Nintendo’s other big-name franchises, I’m also tired of seeing those same faces every year. Nintendo has such a diverse character roster (just look as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, now with Kazuya from Tekken) that I want more obscure games to also have their time to shine.
That’s why I got so hyped watching so many “B-tier” Nintendo franchises make their Nintendo Switch debut. It’s about time they got their shot. WarioWare: Get It Together! adds two-player co-op to the brilliant deconstructionist minigame collection. I’ve always preferred Advance Wars’ military tactics over Fire Emblem’s fantasy-RPG strategy, so I can’t wait to play the GBA remakes in Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp. All Wii U games should come to Switch, and I’m glad to see the horror-photography game Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water make the leap.
Then there’s Metroid, the quintessential Nintendo franchised beloved by hardcore gamers, but ignored by the general public. Metroid Prime 4 is still nowhere in sight, but in the meantime, we now have Metroid Dread coming this October, complete with a collector’s edition. Developed by MercurySteam, the folks behind Metroid: Samus Returns, this is the first wholly original 2D Metroid game in nearly two decades. It looks killer, and old-school fans will remember that subtitle from ancient rumors back in the day.
As awesome as these games look, they feel like the kind of games that Nintendo releases near the end of a system’s life. After all, Samus Returns infamously came to 3DS after the Switch already launched. There’s no way Nintendo is killing off the Switch anytime soon. Just look at its massive sales numbers. Still, it feels like we’re on the cusp of something new.
Great Expectations
It’s no secret that pretty much everyone expects Nintendo to release a more powerful version of the Nintendo Switch at some point. Switch Pro, New Nintendo Switch, Switch XL, whatever you want to call it, the console’s probably coming. Some analysts even expected it to get announced before E3, so Nintendo could demonstrate software running on the upgraded hardware at the show. Obviously, that didn’t happen.
We can’t forget how the COVID-19 pandemic and global chip shortages threw everyone’s production schedules out of whack. It’s possible Nintendo could start selling Switch Pro today, but the shortages wouldn’t make the move worth it.
However, when you look at the Nintendo Switch games planned for 2022, the Switch Pro feels like the missing piece, the invisible object exerting gravity on the other games that revolve around it. In 2017, Nintendo stacked the original Switch’s first year with a legendary lineup of blockbusters. The Legend of Zelda of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, and Splatoon 2.
And what’s on tap for 2022? Another crop of games that feels perfectly designed for selling an exciting piece of new hardware.
Ubisoft just announced Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, complete with Rabbid remixes of Super Mario Galaxy concepts. That game’s graphical quality also suggests a stronger Switch is on the way. As for games by Nintendo itself, so far in 2022 we’re getting the ambitious, open-world, action-RPG Pokemon Legends: Arceus and squid-kid shooter Splatoon 3, new entries in extremely successful franchises. Pokemon especially would benefit from extra horsepower.
Then there’s the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Nintendo first announced a follow-up to its open-world masterpiece back in 2019. At E3 2021, we got another gorgeous glimpse at the game, including how it vertically expands the map to encompass Hyrule’s skies (just in time the Skyward Sword HD). We didn’t get a title, but we did learn that the game won’t arrive until 2022. That’s not surprising, as developing a new Zelda game, even one building off past work, takes time. But I fully expect to play this game on a new Switch console. Making the original Breath of the Wild a launch title immediately turned the Nintendo Switch into a must-own system. Launching the Switch Pro with this sequel just makes too much sense.
A Link to the Future
Although the Switch is selling like hot cakes, Nintendo must become more technologically relevant as this generation continues. After all, developers are dedicating more resources to 4K-capable machines, such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Some AAA third-party ports run just fine on Switch, but other ports, such as the recently announced Guardians of the Galaxy game, can only come to the console via the cloud. A new Nintendo Switch could alleviate that issue by playing highly anticipated games with little sacrifice in 2022 and beyond.
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