The Nintendo Switch’s Last Year Will Be Mostly Re-Releases And I’m Here For It

So that Nintendo Direct was a bit of a surprise. After Nintendo announced it like they were vaguely embarrassed, I feel like expectations were below the floor. I mean, sure, there were the usual memes about Metroid Prime 4 and Silksong that we always get. The wild thing is, this time we actually got Metroid Prime 4 in the direct. No Silksong still. People hoping for Silksong are now dust-covered skeletons sitting in chairs. But, hey, we got Metroid Prime 4, Zelda actually playing the lead in a canon Zelda game, and a new Mario & Luigi.

Those are the big headlines. And I’m here for them. However, Metroid Prime 4 won’t come until 2025 at the earliest and, as much as I love Nintendo, I’m kind of half-expecting Zelda and Mario & Luigi to get delayed, too. And there’s definitely a 50-50 chance something’s getting pushed to Switch 2. Which leaves us with the other announcements: lots of re-releases. Re-releases on the Nintendo Switch Online Emulator Page Deluxe Plus, re-releases in game collections, remakes, and remasters. And buddy, I am here for it. I live for it. If the Nintendo Switch is dying, I’m happy it’s dying with some of the best games coming back to it.

Yes, I respect that for a lot of companies, this is a cynical move. And for a lot of fans, seeing that Turok The Dinosaur Hunter is available in a different way on Switch now probably doesn’t move the needle. But it does for me. I’m that audience. I’m one of the dummies who bought the official Nintendo 64/Switch controllers they released a couple years back. I’m playing these games the way they were meant to be played, baby! Even if the controller I’m using is almost as large as the console itself and it’s still being imperfectly emulated at best.

I mean, we just got back Metroid: Zero Mission, one of the – if not the – best 2D Metroid games. We just got Perfect Dark. Hell, I know not everyone is drooling to play the Game Boy Advance version of Link To The Past, but man I’m excited to try Four Swords online. I got to play the original Four Swords maybe… once? Once in my life? It’s not like it changed me forever, but I’m glad there’s going to be an easy way to actually do this. Do I already own all these games? Of course I do! Do I also have these games emulated? Of course I do! That doesn’t make me any less excited to have an easy way to pop them on.

Or Dragon Quest III 2D-HD Remake, which is the most video game-y title someone could ever come up with. There were already pretty solid rumors that we’d be getting 1-3 (I-III?) instead of just 3 (III?). It might not be huge news to have those rumors confirmed, but these games already look better than half the triple-A stuff we’re getting hammered with later this year. Again, there are already versions of the first three Dragon Quest games on the Switch. You could buy them right now. I don’t care, we’re getting new ones and I love it. I want this style. I want to experience it again. I’m glad the old and new exist in harmony.

I didn’t even bring up Marvel vs. Capcom 2. If it was just that one game, I’d be filling my drawers, let alone an entire collection of Marvel’s Capcom games. I might be typing this on a computer that literally has a Dreamcast emulator with Marvel vs. Capcom 2 ready to go, but I’m getting that collection because I’d personally enjoy having the ability to play Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on every device the way intelligent people install Doom on smart fridges. I’m good with that. I know these are old games, but send them right my way.

Hell, some of them I don’t even want but I’m glad are coming. I don’t need another version of Donkey Kong Country Returns. I already bought the 3DS remake. I’m good. But I’m glad it’s going to be available for people – especially kids who might’ve missed the cutoff on the 3DS days, which is a sad truth about time that makes me weep in the late hours of the night. The Switch is one of the biggest systems of all time; let everyone have more of some of the greatest games of all time as we wave it goodbye. Give people that gaming history. Hell, as someone else pointed out online, it’s a wild time to be a SaGa fan alone.

I get why people might want a little more out of a console’s final year. And I get why people were hoping Nintendo might’ve announced more. We all want Nintendo to announce more. Nintendo has thrived on announcing less. But while we’re waiting for news on when a new console might even exist in our hands, I’m glad I can take the best versions of some hardcore classics with me on the go. I know it’s weird to think this when I already have the power to do all that. But screw it, I’m gonna go play Turok The Dinosaur Hunter on a remake of an old controller right now.

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