The recent Nintendo Switch event revealed an exciting line-up for Nintendo’s newest console. Between Zelda, Skyrim, and FIFA, the first year of the Switch’s life is going to be stuffed with games. The Switch is already presenting itself as a great platform for traditional gaming, motion control party games, indie games like Rime, and of course, Super Mario Odyssey.
But all that said, there were games we really would have loved to have seen announced for the Switch. Yeah, we all wanted Metroid to make a comeback, but we’ve all made peace with how unlikely that was. Yet quite a few games were rumored to have an appearance in the line-up but did not make it. Here are five glaring omissions from the announcement.
Beyond Good & Evil 2
By this point, Beyond Good & Evil fans are used to disappointment – they have suffered in silence for a long time. But we now live in a world where both The Last Guardian and Final Fantasy XV are completed fully-playable games. Beyond Good & Evil was a stand-out Ubisoft adventure game, but it has now been 13 years since the original came out. That sounds bad, but could there be hope for its long-delayed sequel?
We have not seen a trailer for Beyond Good & Evil 2 since Ubisoft originally announced it for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Since then, the game has been completely MIA. Recently, Destructoid published a rumor that Beyond Good & Evil 2 was back in production, but for the Switch. Unfortunately, that is still not confirmed.
Maybe Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still coming but is just in very early stages. Who knows? We do know that Ubisoft is still heavily invested in the Switch with Just Dance 2017, Steep, and Rayman Legends coming to the console.
Pokémon Stars
Pokemon Stars is the rumored name of a console version of Pokémon Sun and Moon that could be coming to the Switch. GameStop accidentally confirmed recently that some kind of Pokémon game is coming to the Switch in 2017. But they quickly took down the message from their website.
Pokémon Stars rumors have been floating around for months now, however, Nintendo has never confirmed its existence. There is too much smoke around the idea for there not to be some fire. With Sun and Moon only recently released, Nintendo probably wants to let them ride out their massive success for a few months longer. No reason to undercut the Alolan adventure right at the height of its popularity.
Mario Maker
Super Mario Maker is one of the truly best games to come out of Nintendo in the last few years. The social platformer has brought us some of the coolest and most original Mario levels ever made. In 2015, Mario Maker was a smash-hit on the WiiU when that console desperately needed a smash-hit. In 2016, it got an inferior port to the 3DS, missing its most signature feature: the ability to upload levels for other players.
With Mario Maker being one of Nintendo’s most impressive and innovative multiplayer games, it only seems natural it would be ported to the Switch. It is unclear how Nintendo hopes to bring its best titles stranded on the WiiU over to the next generation. Mario Kart 8 is getting a simple port, while Splatoon is getting a full sequel.
Maybe Nintendo just wants the Mario brand focused on his adventures in New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey?
Super Smash Bros. 4
Speaking of great multiplayer games, what about Super Smash Bros. for the WiiU and 3DS?
Every mainline Nintendo console since the Nintendo 64 has had its own signature Super Smash Bros. fighting game. One should expect Super Smash Bros. 5 eventually for the Switch. But in the meantime, if we want to play Smash 4, do we really need to use outdated hardware? Smash 4 is only three years old, it is still in its prime as far as fighting games go.
Mother 3
We know, we know. Mother 3 coming out on the Switch was a pipe dream. Maybe we just wanted to believe, okay? As unlikely as Mother 3 is, we refuse to stop asking for it because Mother 3 is one of the best JRPGs ever made, and its legacy has never been stronger. It was the inspiration for 2015’s indie hit, Undertale. This is Mother 3‘s time.
There were actually a few good signs that the third game in Nobuyuki Inoue’s utterly bizarre Mother/Earthbound series could actually get a proper Western release a decade after its Japanese-exclusive appearance on the GameBoy Advance. First off Mother 3 received a Virtual Console release in 2015 – but again, only for Japan. Last June, 1-UP Studio (formally Brownie Brown), the studio behind Mother 3, was allowed to visit the Switch development house. Instantly, Mother 3 rumors on the Switch spread but came to nothing.
Eventually, Nintendo has to make this right. Right?