We’re getting very close to the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, which will bring a long-awaited brand new Mario Kart game on day one, with the excellently titled Donkey Kong Bananza arriving a month later.
But as well as new games, Nintendo is giving us updated versions of existing Switch titles, which promise improved visuals and performance, plus Switch 2-exclusive features.
At launch, both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and follow-up Tears of the Kingdom will be offered as Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games, but I’m already thinking about the games that I really want to see upgraded to take advantage of the new hardware.
Here are the three I’m hoping for most.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
This Switch remaster of one of the Wii U’s best games only came out a few months ago, and I’ve put enough time into Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition to know that it’s a miracle that it runs as well as it does.
Monolith Soft’s fantastic sci-fi RPG lets you fly around a gigantic and seamless open world (we’re talking 10 times larger than Skyrim) in a mech, and it’s as awesome as you’d hope. But as impressive as the Switch version is, there’s no denying that it looks a bit smudgy and low-res at times.
The alien planet of Mira is one of the most interesting and artistically impressive virtual worlds I’ve ever explored, and I’d love to see what it could look like with the power of the Switch 2 behind it. Fingers crossed.
Bayonetta 3
I’ve dipped in and out of the Bayonetta series since it debuted in 2009. The eponymous Umbra Witch is one of the more memorable protagonists in games, and there are few things cooler than the series’ signature Witch Time mechanic.
But here’s a confession: while I’ve owned the Switch-exclusive Bayonetta 3 since it came out in 2022, I’ve never actually played it. That’s partly to do with my comically enormous backlog of unplayed games getting in the way, but more so because the third entry in PlatinumGames’ bombastic series has very well–documented performance issues.
The Switch just couldn’t keep up with the action, and while the Bayonetta series has never been a technical showcase, surely we get a Switch 2 version that looks and runs much better. Then I might finally play it.
Super Mario Maker 2
To be clear, I’d much rather we get an all new Super Mario Maker game than an enhanced version of one that came out in 2019. But there’s a very simple reason why Super Mario Maker 2 would be instantly improved on Switch 2: mouse controls.
The first Mario Maker game was a revelation on the Wii U, letting seasoned Mario players test their level-building skills against the geniuses at Nintendo – and the Wii U GamePad was the perfect editing tool.
The Switch sequel had a lot more content (including a criminally underrated story mode), but without the second touchscreen display, designing levels was just nowhere near as intuitive.
The new mouse functionality on Switch 2 is perfect for a game like Super Mario Maker 2, offering the kind of precision you need to design Miyamoto-rivalling masterpieces in docked mode. Make it happen, Nintendo.
