Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (Switch)

I gave Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes a 9/10 when I reviewed it, and it was certainly slightly down to the performance issues, as much as they didn't ruin my own personal fun all that much, that it didn't get a 10. There was some notable stuttering in and around camps and battles here, easy to forgive given the nature of the action at hand, but still frustrating.

Now though...well...on Switch 2 it appears this beautiful adventure is now locked at 60fps! Oh my. Now, we'll need a proper upgrade if we want a resolution bump, so it's not all gravy, but the game looks great anyway, and it's now stutter free, baby! Time to replay this one all over again... - PJ

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Trials of Mana (Switch)

While Trials of Mana falls into the 'perfectly fine' box on the Switch, any issues it did have stuck out in comparison to other consoles. An uncapped framerate on the older console meant that cutscenes and gameplay hovered barely above 30fps, and in busier situations, frames often dipped below 20. It's part of the reason I couldn't really get into the game back when it launched, despite loving the SNES original (well, when I played it on Switch, anyway).

Playing it on Switch 2, it's like night and day. We've gone from an unstable 30-40fps average to an almost-consistent 60fps. Cutscenes don't look stilted as a result, and combat is so much smoother. And the visuals aren't marred by the bigger screen, either. I think, finally, I'm tempted to give this remake another shot thanks to these little lifts. - AH

Penny's Big Breakaway (Switch eShop)

Penny's Big Breakaway launched on Switch with a rather suboptimal 30fps cap on the performance. It was stable, sure, but a bit of a boost would have been very welcome. Thankfully, said boost came soon after its release, bumping performance up to 60fps. The thing is, it couldn't consistently reach 60fps, and it made for a pretty rocky experience.

Now, on Switch 2, if you choose Performance Mode in the options, Penny's Big Breakaway runs at a rock-solid 60fps with no noticeable dips on. The visual drawbacks are still there, such as the removal of anti-aliasing, but it still looks pretty wonderful, and the much-improved performance more than makes up for any graphical hiccups. - OR

Dragon Quest Builders 2 (Switch)

I've played a ton of Dragon Quest Builders 2 with my kids on other platforms and, even though we do have it on Switch, the drop in fidelity, alongside the dodgy 30fps framerate and longish loading times meant we chose to sit it out with that one, even though it was amazing to see it fit on the platform at all!

So, loading it up on Switch 2 I'm surprised to find a game that now feels like it's running at a pretty much steady 60fps. Loading times are cut almost in half, too, and only the custom creations of other players - as is the case on all other platforms - cause any sort of stuttering issues.

Give us resolution upgrade and this will become my number one place to play this magic game. It's really zippy on Switch 2 now, so overall, this is a nice free upgrade. - PJ

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Switch)

Here's one of my favourite Mario games, but it did feel a bit clunky at times, even with a 30fps target that managed to hold for the most part. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle just had this general vibe, for me at least, that it was struggling, or that the console was about to explode, in the effort to run it. It was a loud fan game, for sure and one that would stutter when things got a bit too much here and there.

Now, though, it all breezes along at what feels like 60fps. I mean, it is 60fps and it is smooth as heck now. It's very slick, I can say that, and this bump means that, for now, it actually runs at a higher framerate than its 30fps-locked sequel (also amazing). No resolution improvements, but we gotta imagine we'll get some sort of Switch 2 double-pack upgrade fancy edition deluxe down the line. I'll take five copies! - PJ

NEO: The World Ends With You (Switch)

With an uncapped framerate that would hover around the 30/40fps range, NEO: The World Ends With You is a game that needed a little boost, and now it's got one!

Yep, jumping into the game now it's 60fps (mostly) all the way, as the Switch 2 lifts the uncapped framerate with just one or two minor hiccups here and there in some battles. I'll take that as a win. Load times, which were fairly awful at launch, are now notably cut down - although they could take a bit more negating still - and the picture does seem to look crisper, even though the resolution hasn't seen any increases.

Overall, a very decent lift for TWEWY fans, with the framerate improvement really helping make things feel much nicer. - PJ

Resident Evil 6 (Switch eShop)

I'll be honest, I thought Resident Evil 6 ran at a locked 30fps on the Switch, so when folks online began to mention how buttery-smooth it is on the Switch 2, I just had to check it out. Lo and behold, yes, the frame rate was indeed uncapped on Switch, meaning the improved hardware on Nintendo's new console allows RE6 to reach and maintain 60fps throughout.

Yes, the game has its drawbacks (and its fair share of outspoken critics), but it's still a pretty great action game if you give it a chance. Resident Evil 5 received the same frame rate boost on Switch 2, so that's an option if you prefer, but in my honest opinion, I think the sixth entry has aged slightly better. - OR

The Plucky Squire (Switch)

The Plucky Squire might not have been quite the fairytale ending that many of us were hoping for when it arrived on Switch, and the port's performance issues were no small part of that. The storybook sequences looked fine, but hopping out into the three-dimensional world brought its own resolution and frame rate issues.

Most of these issues are gone on Switch 2. The frame rate still stutters from time to time, but it lands in the reaches of 60fps far more frequently than its Switch 1 version could ever hope to achieve. 3D Jot looks much better with the improved resolution too, and the details of the desktop world are much clearer than before.

It's not without its problems, but performance isn't anything like as big of a sticking point for this storybook adventure anymore. - JN

Darksiders III (Switch)

I reviewed Darksiders 3 back when it released on Switch and, as a fan of the game itself, I was expecting to slap with it a nice score, not a 4/10. That low number was all due to awful performance across the board. This game was a mess!

Fast-forward to now, and well, it's a locked 60fps by the looks of things. Areas that really struggle on Switch 1 are now smooth, and boss battles no longer cause your game to start making out like a slideshow. The resolution hasn't been bumped up, not yet at least, but nevertheless it does also seem just that little bit sharper in general, which also helps!

Loading times are down, transition stutters gone, and overall you're looking at a fantastic action game that struggled badly on Switch 1, now near-perfect. Charlie Sheen calls that #winning! - PJ

Dying Light Platinum Edition (Switch)

Dying Light was an impressive Switch port from the get-go in my opinion; I sort of still can't believe Techland even attempted to put a game of this size and complexity on the hybrid console in the first place. It ran well enough overall, with some stutters here and there, plenty of jaggies and a fairly blurred look to visuals.

On Switch 2, the first thing you'll notice that the loading times are cut down very noticeably - well under half in most cases I've compared in the early game - which makes for a game that's much zippier in transitions. This is a big deal, too, as the loading times were a little intrusive at times. While there's no upgrade to resolution, image clarity seems improved. I can more easily make out small details on zombies as they attack, for example, and there haven't been an big dips down into really blurred territory as dynamic res kicks in. Another fairly sizeable win.

Outside of this, and the biggest point of all, of course, is the framerate which was ok in the OG release but could stutter around from time to time. As our review put it, the performance is "good, not great". Now, we're looking at 30fps as a base line, it feels rock solid, and in quieter areas, I'm tempted to say (without any evidence beyond feels) that it may well be pushing up towards 40 at times. A very nice improvement overall, then. - PJ

Outer Wilds (Switch eShop)

Outer Wilds skyrocketed to one of my favourite games of all time when it finally arrived on Switch back in 2023. My only regret was that I played it for the first time on Switch. Sure, the magic was all still there (and it really is magic), but the performance and resolution made it far from the ideal way to play.

Now, it's not as if playing on Switch 2 magically pulls it in line with the PC or PS5 editions, but I'm pleased to say that it is vastly improved here. The resolution is upped to remove the visual blur that marred the original, and the frame rate now sits at a much more consistent level — locked 60fps this ain't, but it's a noticeable improvement over the Switch 1's stutters.

The game is brilliantly suited to playing on the go, and Switch 2 now provides a much better way to do it. - JN