Feature: 16 Great Late-Gen Nintendo Games - Maybe There's Life In The Ol' Switch Yet

Kirby is often fashionably late, considering a couple Kirby games released on 3DS 1-2 years after Switch came out. Then again, there were about 8 or so Kirby games on the console!

I mean, Switch has had one major NEW first-party title since 2024 started.
The rest is just remakes and a mini game compilation.

I'm happy to be pleasantly surprised at the June 18th Direct, but I'm really not expecting anything other than third-party games.

Just remember, this time last year we didn't know about either Super Mario Wonder or the Super Mario RPG remake. There's no reason to rule out the possibility Nintendo has a heavy hitter or two ready for holiday 2024.

Pokémon red and blue? When they released in the west, the original Game Boy was pushing 10 years old (depending whether you lived in the US or Europe) and suddenly you saw them everywhere.

Even taking into account the original 1996 Japan release, the hardware was still 7 years old. Can't think of another software release that's so successfully resurrected a platform.

Edit: apologies, just read the disclaimer about excluding Game Boy games. I still think those are the definitive example of this subject though.

Call the Switch old all you want, but I still pull out old school consoles/handhelds all the time. Just awhile back I was playing my GameCube. Greatness doesn't have an expiration date IMHO.

there is a marked difference in this generation (switch, specifically.)

every other gen I've lived through, every other console, had a pattern: the early games were a big jump in graphical ambition over the last gen, and the late period of the consoles' lives were characterized by (at least in the first party/exclusive lane) software that blew my mind in terms of polish, performance, and gameplay. The devs had "come to grips" with the hardware, we would say, and it REALLY showed. 🤩

By contrast, the switch came out, had a small jump in graphical quality from wii U (i swear that i felt at the time that MK8 and BOTW were slightly better on U but the handheld aspect made it a good compromise) and now in it's golden years, I see almost nothing but incomplete releases, compromised performance, and disappointment from the gang, here and IRL. 20 year old ports are released with a "fresh coat of paint" but stability and performance issues, and even first party games seem compromised and in many cases wafer thin. if it weren't for the continuing trickle of classic, arcade, and indie games coming out id have given up on switch a long time ago, largely.

No, I dont see any "Omega Boosts," "GTAVs" "Kirby's Adventures," "SMB3s," or "Chrono Triggers" on the horizon, and I'm sadly not expecting them at all. 😔

I didn’t get a switch till a little later, so played BOTW on the Wii U. I was also lucky to have played BOTW before release at some Nintendo event thing in London (before the switch got announced), so imagine my surprise when the gamepad had zero use throughout the game… it was so much easier to use the inventory with that gamepad!

If this list gets expanded, add Joy Mech Fight, released for the Famicom in 1993, when the Super Famicom was already in the market for years.

Um, DKC3 was trash.

Happy to see WarioWare Gold on this list though! It's the definitive WarioWare game, imo. Takes advantage of all the 3DS' control schemes, has full voice-acted cutscenes, has the definitive version of "Gamer" which makes the Game & Wario version feel shallow by comparison, and has a wealth of new content--both new and old.

If I had to fault the game for anything, it would be that I'm really not a big fan of the character redesigns that have stuck around ever since. The game also has a sound test where you can listen to music from past games like Ashley's Theme and Mona Pizza, but you can't actually get them to play within the actual game while you're chasing high scores, which feels like a waste.

I think the Superstar Saga remake was also great and wish it got more credit. I know there are things you can nitpick, like how some people feel the animations aren't as expressive. But the environments themselves got a massive glow-up and look way prettier in the remake. Coupling that with the QoL features like being able to fast-forward the text, this is my preferred way to play the game.

It may not count, as it came out 2 years prior, but xenoblade was one of my most hyped Wii releases even after I had a PS3. All of Operation Rainfall was a pleasant surprise.

@Yousef-

Why, hello! 👋

My big difference in opinion from most users here is that I believe the compromises moving to a "hybrid" system are HUGELY underrated, here, and that Switch is worse as a console and as a handheld by virtue of its ambition.

All I want is GameCube 2 and Game Boy 2 for the next gen, but I know that the one true god (money) demands a Switch 2. Time will tell, but I can't take another 8 years of Switch style disappointment and compromise from Nintendo. 😮‍💨

EDIT - my other, perhaps more plausible dream is that we get a "gamecube 2" (no compromise, "true" console) and switch lives on as the powerhouse handheld that it is, alongside that console. stranger things have happened! for example the Gameboy platform spanned NES, SNES, 64, and even GAMECUBE's first 2~3 years of life as the handheld counterpart to those consoles, becoming increasingly interactive with them even, by way of link cables and accessories. how cool was that?

@Not_Soos Omgggg DKC3 was my childhood but I didn't play 2 until years later (and loved it) so maybe my opinion was tinted by that a bit.

The 3DS had a really graceful sendoff, and I hope Nintendo repeats their strategy.

I think there is still room for a new Mario Party, a Fire Emblem remake, Prime 2/3 remasters plus potentially the Wii U Zelda remakes on Switch.

I love DKC3 and will always defend it. In fact, I love it even more than 2!

How about Kirby’s Dream Land 3? With a unique art style, more animal buddies, and a cheery soundtrack, it’s very underrated.

So need a hd remake of conkers bad fur day. Physical .copy I remember my school friend brother playing it on his N64 . I never played it at time I was young this was a naughty game so I wanted played it bad bit like GTA when I was 14.he did let us play golden eye thought treasured memory what game. Wii version Not bad but not great.

@-wc- Totally get that sentiment. I think if anything Wonder was the swansong, the most we can expect is probably an "I'm sowwy" port of MPrime4 at the very end since they promised it for this console but the only precedent influencing that thought is Zelda TP/Botw, it could go any way.

@Chlocean

I don't believe it's your perception that's tinted, here, friend. ✌️

Ever Oasis

Sushi Striker (3DS)

Several Pokemon

Battletoads for NES also comes to mind, the last major title before the Super NES came out.

@Ade117 The thought of getting 2 in 1 remake package of the Jugdral games has been something I've fantasized about for quite awhile now. Prolly not going to happen, but I'm eager for remakes with official translations of previously Japan exclusive FE games. We're still missing FE 3-6 sadly.

I absolutely love Conker and I’d say it is probably one of the most impressive N64 games I’ve ever seen and played, though no surprise since Rare loved to innovate and give it their all with their N64 titles and tried to push it to its limits.

It had full voice acting, a well done facial expression system, alongside a lot of twists and changes with its platforming gameplay, which was very surprising and impressive for the console it was released on. To top it off, it had a bizarre and absolutely insane storyline that, for me, never failed to entertain me from start to finish.

The game is so special to me despite only playing it for the first time on Xbox last year, though the outdated controls make it super hard for me to revisit it and play in full again…

You mention repping Square and Capcom, but also TMNT 3 by Konami was a 1992 game on NES which is currently ranked #12 on NLife.

@-wc- pretty sure the Switch is this way because

1. We are long past the days of true advancements like 3D graphics and motion controls, and

2. The Wii Us failure.

Besides, I think the Switch might actually be my favorite in terms of it's library. I've been trying to play games from all Nintendos consoles and handhelds, even getting a Wii and 3DS XL to do so, but too many of the games people say are Nintendos best disappointed me in certain aspects. Several, like Super Mario World, Paper Mario, the Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening, and Kirby: Planet Robobot lived up completely to my expectations; others, like Super Mario Bros. 3, the original Donkey Kong Country games, the Legend of Zelda: the Minish Cap, Kirby Super Star, and Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, left me saying, "that's it?" Meanwhile, the Switch has been pretty consistent for me, with its highs (Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Kirby and the Forgotten Land) even to its "lows" (Super Mario Party, Kirby Star Allies, ARMS). I know it's based on preference, but I really don't think the Switch needed to have such titles as you have described in order to succeed.

@Chlocean

I'd rather a "no compromise" Switch 2 Prime 4 personally, and just skip switch. I felt that being tied to the previous generation compromised both TP and BOTW, in different ways.

TP on Wii couldve been graphically more impressive, with better wiimote integration theoretically, and ironically, BOTW on U couldve made use of the gamepad for map and inventory, which IMO was clearly the entire point of the "sheikah slate" mechanic in-game, and was abandoned so the switch version would not appear as a lesser port.

Also, if Prime 4 comes out on Switch then that's one less reason for me to get a 2 any time soon. ✌️

The Last Story, anyone??

For the Switch, we already know about Ys X, Fantasy Life i, Pokemon Legends 2, Professor Layton, Plucky Squire, Dragon Quest HD, Decapolice... Quite a few!

Persona q2 should have been on this list

@dartmonkey If the copyright date on the finished Star Fox 2 is accurate, the game was actually finished and completed AFTER it was already canceled.
The final date is 1996, but Nintendo had already firmly canceled its original release by the middle of 1995. Around 2016, programmer Dylan Cuthbert came forward to say that not only was the "near-final" debug Japanese ROM leaked in 2002 not nearly as final as people had suspected but that Nintendo had ordered QA on the game even after its cancellation.

Chibi Robo came out very late in the gamecubes life. This definitely deserves a mention.

Conker's bad fur day was one of the biggest surprises ever, not a Nintendo game but the Warriors game for ps2 was so good we played it till my disk stopped working and I've had it on everything I can play it on

Lufia II (SNES)
RPG perfection.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Nintendo follow Playstation and Xbox in releasing new games on the previous system and new system for a few years.

@the_beaver The Last Story is so underrated. One of my favorite RPGs. Sadly it was overshadowed by Xenoblade and fell into obscurity. I'd love to see it get a second chance at success like Baten Kaitos recently did.

Kirby Mass Attack is the best game of this distinction, no contest. You'll never find a DS game with nicer sprites and animations. The soundtrack by Shogo Sakai of Mother 3 fame is excellent, and the levels constantly invent creative gimmicks to keep the gameplay engaging.

As an amusing tidbit, Daroach actually advertises the 3DS in this game, saying it's "worth its weight in gold." The game is full of fun touches like that.

@batmanbud2

"Super Mario Bros. 3 [...] left me saying, 'that's it?'"

☹️

@-wc- it was the powerups and the level design. The only good new addition was the Super Leaf (and the Shoe, I guess, but that was only for one level in the original game), and the levels either felt too short, too basic or too confusing. Except the muncher level. That one was straight up bad. It was a step up from the previous 4 entries, but. . .eh.

Now, if we're talking about the Advance remake with the e reader levels. . .🤤.

Another favorite late-gen Nintendo game of mine is the first Paper Mario, which has been my favorite Mario RPG for the longest time. That came out toward the end of the N64 in Japan and in the final year everywhere else. There's even some foreshadowing of Luigi's Mansion in Luigi's diary!

For me, the Switch hasn't topped ts opening year. 2017 was juet superb for a new console. I think the Switch 2 will take the same approach.

@batmanbud2

Well, I'm just in shock, Bud. 🫠

I know you've heard the case for SMB3 by now lol so what can I say? 😆

to make it worse, I've been playing SMB3 since I was 5 years old (launch window supporter 😂) so I'm obnoxiously nostalgic for this insanely accomplished and vastly superior Mario game.

"The only good new addition was the Super Leaf"

I kind of see what you mean, I'll start with that.

I will say that from my perspective, having lived through the chronology in a compressed, "childhood timeline" kind of way, that just about everything in the game was a "new addition," and the Super Leaf was just a (super fantastic) cherry on top 😊 I mean playing Mario 3 at age five when you had spent year 4 playing SMB 1 and 2, was a near-psychedelic experience, right? I had no idea what to expect from one screen to the next! It was doing what Wonder aims to do but on a foundational, tectonic level.

"(and the Shoe, I guess, but that was only for one level in the original game),"

forget about the shoe!

"and the levels either felt too short, too basic or too confusing."

I know this is subjective, but I personally love the freewheeling, anything goes kind of approach to 3's level design. I agree that some of the levels are very short, but I like that about the early mario games, what can I say? They also have shorter time limits. I like time limits! 🤪

"Except the muncher level. That one was straight up bad."

how dare you?

"It was a step up from the previous 4 entries, but. . .eh."

check, please! 😅

Great list guys.
Brought back some memories.

I think the Switch has given us something essential every year, even if that game was not always from Nintendo and could be played on other platforms. Even this year we’ve had Balatro and Animal Well, and if Dragon Quest III HD drops, then I will once again buy a JRPG on preorder but not get around to playing it for a year or more (looks at Xenoblade III, Octopath II and Persona 5 still in their shrink wrap).

As for late gen wonders, the PS2 has some absolute snorters. The PS3 came out in 2006. In 2007, the PS2 got Persona 3 (in the West), God of War II and Odin Sphere. The year after that was Persona 4 and Yakuza 2. There was another SMT game in 2009, in Devil Summoner 2.

So I don’t know what the Switch has got left, but expect Atlus to do something, I guess. (See also Radiant Historia - twice! DS and 3DS)

@batmanbud2

"Now, if we're talking about the Advance remake with the e reader levels. . .🤤."

this one's filed under "stuff I've heard of at the time but will probably never get around to playing at this point," in my brain. good stuff, I take it?

I must admit that I was enchanted by the first SMB deluxe on GBC but by the time the Advance series came out I was pretty much over the "handheld port of a beloved Mario game except it doesn't look quite right or sound as good" sub-genre. ✌️

Gimme something good 3rd party kids games on Switch.
No 30 fps excuse, no obvious downgraded, no download required / code in box excuses.

@BodkinDQ

Got that right. The older games are why I keep the likes of the PS Vita, GBA and 3DS close.

"There comes a time in each console's life when the games start to dry up and we look to the future"

The iPhone buyer mentality is truly a thing. There can only come a time when a console's life has a ridiculously bountiful library capable of filling one's backlog for months to years ahead. And what do gamers™ want instead, another hardware debut with 10-30 titles to vocally dismiss as a "release draught" and "poor launch"? Switch legitimately had stuff to play (beyond BotW, that is) even in the spring of 2017 but you sure wouldn't guess it from addict complaints online. And now it sounds like someone can't wait to get back into that mood.🙄 You do you, then; I, for one, have my four-digit Switch backlog and a still likewise bottomless wishlist to get back to.

@BishopShiozawa Exactly. PS2, GBA SP, SNES, GameCube, and 3DS are all special to me and I still like to pull em out randomly and play again. The Switch is great and is absolutely joining that line up of classic gaming machines for me. Switch has become my favorite~

@-wc-

Luigi's Mansion 2 in particular looks poor.
Bland presentation and no updated controls,
charged at full price.

Had to wait 15 years to finally play my copy of Conker's Bad Fur Day. Got it in 2006 but didn't get a working N64 controller until 2021. Well worth the wait.
Kirby's Dream Land 3 is also a solid game for the SNES that came out after the N64 was already out. The graphics alone make it stand out.

Hopefully I don't have to wait that much to play Metroid: Samus Returns, WarioWare Gold and Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions one day.

@-wc- if you ever get to play Super Mario Advance 4, make sure it's either the Wii U Virtual Console or the NSO version (the latter also supports Rumble, as if it were played on a Game Boy Player). Those versions have all the 38 e-Reader levels, something that's not even possible on the actual GBA version as it only lets you save about 30-32.

The first four levels are recreations of levels from Super Mario Bros., but after that it's all original levels that may give your Mario 3 skills a run the first time you play them. That and they feature elements from the other Super Mario Advance games.

@-wc- The e-reader levels are all on NSO, luckily, so it's never been easier to give them a shot if you ever feel so inclined.

@glennthefrog @HammerGalladeBro

I did not realize the ereader levels were on NSO! thanks!

ps - do either of you know of any other e-reader or otherwise extra content like that on NSO? i am intrigued.

@Uncle_Franklin

I could not be less interested in Luigi's Mansion 2 HD as presented 👍 totally agree.

I just want to play Wind Waker HD again. That and maybe a simple, affordable port of Luigi's Mansion 1's GameCube version on the eShop like Pikmin is really all I need to tie me over until Switch 2's big splash next year.

Though I wouldn't mind that Dragon Quest 1-3 HD-2D remake as well.

No Ever Oasis? Underrated and a real shame when it was released

Star Fox 2 could also be seen as a case for not shipping a game late into a consoles life and holding out for releases on a new console. If anything the reasoning for it not shipping sort of goes against the messaging for potential of late Gen releases.

I think the switch is unique in that its library has been arguably strong each year but I agree the draw down year is usually one of the best. I’ve already had great fun with Showtime, so I look forward to what other games will feature in the Switch’s sunset.

@UltimateOtaku91 Bingo! I’ve been calling this out for the past couple of years now. Nintendo would just be taking a page from their director competitors. They’ll still continue to support the Switch alongside their new home console (and the Switch will likely become the best selling home console of all time if they do). With comments like, “Nintendo accounts will help ease transition with new console”, Nintendo stating there’s still life for the Switch in year 7 of the consoles lifespan, and multiple rumors about their next console being more of an upgraded Switch rather than a completely new concept (What a PS5 is to a PS4), they’re literally telling you their next business move. You just gotta connect the dots.

I think it makes sense that some real stone cold gems come out in the latter day or last leg. The developers are super comfortable with the console at this point. What it cannot do, what it CAN do, and how to really twist it to get the last bit of juice they can out of it. Even graphically, look at early Snes to the last days of the Snes. The games feel and look different.

@the_beaver Last Story, Pandora's Tower, Xenoblade Chronicles...

@-wc- I think Mario Advance 4 is the only game to feature additional e-reader stuff on NSO so far. I honestly don't know what other GBA games used it, I remember some GC games like Animal Crossing supported it back in the day.

I'd love to see 4 Swords Adventure make it to NSO someday without the insane requirement of 4 GBAs and 4 links cables to really get the most out of the experience.

@glennthefrog

"I'd love to see 4 Swords Adventure make it to NSO someday without the insane requirement of 4 GBAs and 4 links cables to really get the most out of the experience."

oh man that would be incredible! but even better would be a standalone rerelease!

Crisis Force and Yume Penguin Monogatari! Both 1991 if I recall correctly.

@BodkinDQ 100% agree. Currently playing Max Payne 2 on my PS2 having only just completed the first game.