Metroid Prime 2 and 3 remasters
These feel like no-brainers given the success of Metroid Prime Remastered, and working on the assumption that Metroid Prime 4 is still coming to Switch (more on that in a moment). We’re all hoping for backwards compatibility as a feature of the next system, so these coming to Switch hopefully wouldn’t nix the possibility of playing them on ‘Switch 2’.
Speaking of Prime…
Time for Prime 4?
The most obvious candidate for a top-tier Switch sign-off. Multiple games in the last year would have made for a perfect ‘bookend’ to Switch’s tenure (Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Wonder) but this one in particular would be a very fitting end given its development history.
We can’t imagine that Nintendo would once again make a Metroid game exclusive to a sunsetting system (as it did with Metroid: Samus Returns) but if so, it could be a worthy send-off.
Or hey, how about repeating history with a late-arriving Switch port of MercurySteam’s aforementioned Samus Returns? In a way, it would be fitting to see it once again arrive late to the party, and if backwards compatibility is a thing on the next system, everyone’s a winner.
More remakes?
When it comes to late-cycle remakes, Nintendo has form. The company isn’t averse to releasing great ports (Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World, Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn) or quality remakes exclusively on outgoing hardware — hi again, Samus Returns — so another remake or two is absolutely a possibility, even with Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door already on the books.
Returning to the Zelda theme, imagine a rerelease for 3DS’ Link Between Worlds, an all-time gem that’s currently only playable on its original host system. We haven’t seen much from Grezzo since 2019’s Link’s Awakening remake and the 2021 port of Miitopia, so whether its next release comes to Switch or a future system is a big question.
We’d love new games, of course, but we’re as susceptible to nostalgia as the next gamer and these aren’t a bad way to pass the time while we’re in a new hardware holding pattern.
Another mini console?
Who could resist a N64 Classic Mini? Or a Game Boy Color with a built-in library?
The more niche appeal of those consoles versus the NES or SNES Minis, not to mention cost increases over their predecessors, would make these less likely than in the Wii U days. There’s also the fact that Nintendo Switch Online already offers games from these systems.
While those of us with an insatiable appetite for miniature retro hardware would be the first to pre-order them, they arguably make less sense than ever before. Better to add more classics to NSO, no?
More amiibo?
Another stop-gap experiment Nintendo conducted to distract from the declining Wii U nearly a decade ago. The Smash Bros. series of NFC figures is finally over, but is it possible Nintendo might put out a few more to give eager Switch fans something neat to stuff in their stockings this Christmas?
It’s not impossible — hey, we’d still love a Geno or the Chorus Kids — but it’s going to take a little more than a cute Oatchi amiibo to distract us from… from the thing. The topic we were discussing. About Switch and the, erm…
Okay, fine. An Oatchi amiibo bundled with a Pikmin 1-4 physical uberpack and a Pikmin Joy-Con set or something. There you go, that’s Thanksgiving sorted. Easy, this game scheduling malarkey.
A nod to the fans
If Nintendo is really in a bind, 2024 could be the perfect time to play perhaps the ultimate fan card and put Mother 3 on Switch.
It could be a fanfare addition to Nintendo Switch Online, or it could be a limited-time, original Fire Emblem-style affair. Or it could be a proper physical re-release of a game adored by an incredibly invested, passionate fan base.
Whatever the scenario, an official localisation of the EarthBound sequel — in the series’ 35th anniversary year, no less — would be simultaneously a wonderful gift and a masterful distraction.
The real ace up the sleeve
Of course, the real ace in the hole would be a Switch port of the best thing Game Freak ever made: Pocket Card Jockey.
Look, leaker Pyoro has hinted that Game Freak might feature in a Partner Direct soon (and then tweeted about dolphins — start your GameCube rumour engines, folks!), and seeing as any Pokémon announcements would almost certainly be saved for a Pokémon Presents at the end of February, our minds immediately jumped to our beloved Pocket Card Jockey. We here at Nintendo Life adore that game, and given the state of our backlogs, a shadow drop on Switch would keep us very happy for the rest of the year.
Just us? Perhaps. But the game already has an iOS version which launched in January 2023, and by all accounts, it would be a great fit on Switch, say, after a year of Apple exclusivity? Larvely.
Those are just a handful of ideas, and none of them too outlandish, except maybe the mini consoles. Obviously, there’s potential for brand-new games, too — it just seems unlikely that Nintendo wouldn’t be banking the very best stuff for the next console.
Let us know which quality 2024 filler you’d be most interested in, or comment below with your own ideas.
Laura Adams is a tech enthusiast residing in the UK. Her articles cover the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets, providing readers with a glimpse into the future of technology.
