Switch it Out...
2023 will certainly be an interesting insight to what Nintendo have in store for gamers. With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, only a couple of months away, the heralded Japanese conglomerate will surely have news on what the Switch’s future should be after the title’s release. For what some would consider the platform’s twilight years, the Nintendo Switch is still going strong, at least in sales that is. However, the platform is starting to show some aging aspects that are becoming a critical point of critique by many. Do Nintendo move on from the Switch in 2024? Do they finally announce the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch Pro? Or are we looking for something new, exciting, different and fresh from the Big N? Personally, it’s tough gauging what I personally want from Nintendo, as I find myself straying further from what the developer has published in the last 24 months. If anything, the latest Pokémon releases were an indicator of what the Switch has come to, and I personally don’t need to be another critical voice in the masses that have cried foul. But If Nintendo really wanted to appease us, or at least myself, these are five things I would like to see from Nintendo in 2023.
Now this hits two birds with one stone. With the impending release of ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ coming this March, it’s definitely a no-brainer – at least commercially to coincide with the feature film’s release. One thing I would love to see from Nintendo this year would be another Super Mario platformer, albeit 2D or 3D. In the respect that it is 2D, I would love to see Nintendo finally go back to its roots, dump the “New” series and adapt something similar to how they developed Wario Land: Shake It (or The Shake Dimension depending where you live) in terms of its art style and animation. A true Super Mario Bros. 3 sequel with hand drawn sprites that retains the nuances seen from the 8-to-16bit generation of classic Mario games would be sensational. Fans have clamoured for an Akira Toriyama inspired ‘Legend of Zelda’ for years now, but just like this animated Mario fantasy platformer, the reality of it coming to fruition is slim-to-none.
In terms of as 3D Mario platformer, it’s pragmatic if anything predictable that Nintendo are indeed working on a new Odyssey-style sequel. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if it were titled Super Mario Odyssey 2, akin to both Super Mario Galaxy entries. Speaking of, Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be coming to Nintendo Switch in 2023. With what was a strategic omission from the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, Nintendo will re-release an HD Remaster as an e-Shop exclusive prior to the film’s release to soften the blow in making fans wait on an eventual Odyssey sequel, or new 3D Mario Platformer.
This should have been a day one thing, but alas, here we are. Nintendo Gamecube classics will expand the Nintendo Switch Online service. Of course, this will be an exclusive to the Expansion Pack tier that already includes the Nintendo 64 online offerings, but Nintendo will look to maximise its online memberships. Whether this will work or not will be another question, but don’t think you’ll be getting Super Smash Bros. Melee anytime soon. Nintendo have not been fond of the popular fighter, going as far as cancelling Esport tournaments in late 2022 that did not agree to their unlawful terms of use and licensing. Regardless, we’ll see some greats such as Luigi’s Mansion, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Mario Kart: Double Dash and other notables mark its launch – but somehow I see Super Mario Sunshine held off for undetermined amount of time – or worse, never releases for the service. But this will allow Nintendo to manufacture more of those nifty bluetooth controllers, so I hope we finally nab ourselves a brand new, wireless bluetooth Gamecube controller… right?
I don’t know if I care about this one THAT much, but if you announce a title and continue to tease fans surrounding said title, then actually show off something to build some sort of hype or anticipation. I was elated when we finally got Metroid: Dread in our hands, a concept that had been banked by Nintendo for numerous years before putting it into production. Metroid Prime 4 was first announced at E3 2017, and was set to be developed by Bandai Namco before being dropped and palmed off to Retro Studios. It’s concerning to say the least that the title has already been quietly cancelled once, but to know that Retro Studios are taking the reigns is somewhat promising. Yet, we’re half a decade later with nothing but a logo and promise. This needs to be the year Nintendo finally show something or the title may find itself past its prime – no pun intended.
This is more of a personal issue than anything, but it’s one that I’m sure many agree with. Nintendo’s archaic outlook on the industry is abysmal. The way they handle everything has been nothing short of a traditionalist’s wet dream, and gamers are sick of it. Stop cancelling events and start fixing your crappy online experience. Their attention needs to be turned to how they gladly half-hand offerings to its devout audience, instead of pursuing online creators for monetary sake. The most recent being the “Did You Know? Gaming” debacle, where Nintendo filed a copyright claim against the channel, documenting Retro Studio’s Heroes of Hyrule, a Zelda inspired adventure that was pitched to Nintendo over two decades ago. It’s pathetic, it’s desperate and outright abuse that needs to be called out. You can control your properties, but can’t police creators or journalists.
The fact is, the ‘suits’ at Nintendo can’t stand anyone creating content from their IP’s if it doesn’t benefit them monetarily – It’s no secret. It’s despised, and morally objective, but we have to respect Nintendo’s decision nonetheless. Then we have the homebrew scene that are continuously keeping the retro side of the community afloat by creating astounding fan games for unselfish, and not-for-profit purposes such as Games Done Quick, an annual speedrunning event that brings together multiple communities, with hopes of raising funds for charities like ‘Doctor’s without Borders’. But again, Nintendo see’s the act as something that – *ahem* – and I directly quote “ultimately stifle’s innovation”. The only thing that’s ultimately stifled here is the Big N’s inability to move past their board of directors’ premise in keeping Nintendo from becoming a legitimate competitor to XBOX and PlayStation; but that’s just my opinion. *shrugs*.
The ongoing narrative constructed by some media and Nintendo themselves that they are their own market, or a complimentary piece to a gamer’s home console. It’s absurd and insults those that have supported the Japanese developer for decades. But who’s to argue the longstanding, enigmatic pioneers, sitting on nearly $10bn USD in the bank.
I don’t want a Nintendo Switch Pro. It’s time for Nintendo to come back strong with new hardware that showcases its intellectual properties in a whole new light. For years we’ve seen fans take it upon themselves to re-create Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda in Unity, dazzling us with suspense and hype that lead to empty hopes in one day Nintendo themselves would create something similar. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade my Breath of the Wild experience for anything else, but if it looked as marvellous as one of those sensational Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask remake teasers we’ve seen throughout the years, that would be the dream.
It’s been all good and well for Nintendo to reach the appeal of the casual gamer for the last three generations but as a lifelong Nintendo gamer, I’m interested in a cinematic Zelda experience. One that would absolutely trump a “Witcher” or something of similar ilk. Far-fetched, but I’m not the only one that would love to see it, I’m sure. Anyway my point is I don’t want a tablet, I don’t want another hybrid handheld. It’s time for Nintendo to comeback to the home console market with something hot.
