Highlights
- The Nintendo Switch is a highly innovative console that successfully combines portable and home console design, resulting in impressive sales.
- Despite its design, the Switch's hardware can be disappointing at times, leading to poor game performance and frustrating experiences for players.
- Several highly anticipated games, such as Bayonetta 3, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and Shin Megami Tensei 5, suffer from technical issues on the Switch and would benefit from a more powerful console in the future.
There's no denying that the Nintendo Switch is one of the greatest video game consoles of all time. After the huge disaster of the Wii U, Nintendo needed to bounce back with a powerful statement that would help them stand at the peak of the video gaming industry once again. By combining portable and home console design, the Nintendo Switch ended up being an extremely innovative console that sold like hotcakes.
However, despite how impressive the design of the Switch may be, there's no denying that the hardware can be pretty disappointing at times...especially when players try to check out a game on this console only to be absolutely flabbergasted at its poor performance! If a Switch 2 does come out at some point, then some titles need to be ported for players to enjoy the proper experience.
6 Bayonetta 3
Bayonetta 3 is the much-awaited third part in a series that is rife with brilliant action games that fans love. The game is a bombastic spectacle of action, and players were glad that the controversy surrounding its voice acting didn't end up besmirching the reputation of this title in the slightest.
The third game in the series may be an excellent action game...but its performance is far from acceptable. Environments look drab since the Switch can't handle anything too complex, and the occasional frame drops can be especially annoying in a real-time action game where split-second reflexes are necessary to avoid damage and pull off complex combos.
5 Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
The Pokemon games on the Switch have been abysmal in terms of performance. While the franchise has finally evolved after years of fans clamoring for the same, the massive performance hit is simply so egregious that Gamefreak deserves a ton of criticism for not being able to figure out how to optimize these experiences for the console.
The worst offender in this regard is Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, which finally brings the open-world formula to Pokemon but with some caveats of its own. The performance of this title is truly abysmal, with pop-in and frame drops being the norm as opposed to the exception. Hopefully, a port on a new console will give Gamefreak time to fix these issues while allowing for a more stable performance.
4 Shin Megami Tensei 5
After what felt like ages, fans could finally be treated to a new entry in the Shin Megami Tensei series, Atlus' historied JRPG series that spawned several successful spinoffs, including a little-known franchise called Persona. The hype for Shin Megami Tensei 5 was through the roof, and fans couldn't wait to be beaten down by the incredibly challenging combat present in this title.
While the gameplay and story didn't disappoint, the performance of Shin Megami Tensei 5 was a different story. Frequent frame drops and poor picture clarity really take away from the experience, and fans are glad that the turn-based nature of this title prevents things from becoming too frustrating.
3 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild & Tears Of The Kingdom
Nintendo needed a huge release to make the Switch one of the most coveted consoles around, and Breath of the Wild certainly achieved this in style. To make things better, the company released Tears of the Kingdom after six years and improved the mechanics even more, something that many fans thought was impossible.
The game looks beautiful and plays like a charm...so it's a shame that the Switch struggles to run it at some points. The greatest games in history deserve more, and a combined collection of these two amazing titles on the Switch 2 can finally let players enjoy this title at high resolutions and framerates. However, Nintendo has a reputation for not re-releasing their first-party titles, meaning that this fantasy will remain a pipe dream at best.
2 Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity
Players were truly stupefied when Age of Calamity was released in its downright broken state. The title simply wasn't stable on the Switch but was released anyway, making it so surprising that something as treasured as The Legend of Zelda series would be disgraced by such a poor spinoff.
The musou gameplay of the title may not be anything to write home about, but Age of Calamity had a ton of potential that was completely squandered by its poor performance. The title needs a definitive edition on a new console if it wants players to remember the good things that this game brought to the table...as opposed to all the other moments when the performance was simply unacceptable!
1 Xenoblade Chronicles 3
The XenobladeChronicles series has blown up on Nintendo consoles, with the unique combat systems and amazing stories doing a great job of justifying these games as being the biggest JRPG franchise for the company right now. Each and every entry in the series is extremely entertaining and worth checking out for any fan, with the latest game in the franchise becoming an instant fan favorite for the many improvements it brings to the table.
The amazing world of Xenoblade is one of the biggest reasons why it has become such a phenomenon, with a great title like Breath of the Wild taking inspiration from the world design present in this series. Experiencing this game without any performance issues is the best way to enjoy it, and being able to play the third game (along with the other titles) on more powerful hardware is going to be welcomed by everyone!
