14 Forgotten Games the Switch Should Absolutely Steal

Oni

When most people think of Bungie games, they immediately think of Halo and Destiny. The studio has a couple of other unique titles under its belt, though. Oni was a unique action game that blended third-person shooting with close quarters combat. The anime style graphics gave the game a fluidity that was unprecedented for the time.

Nintendo doesn’t have a lot of third-person action titles in its catalog of games, so Oni would not only show what else Bungie has been capable of, but deliver a style of action game that has evolved in recent years. Oni could make a fantastic comeback, maybe with a new developer at the head, giving it a second lease on life.

Marathon

Another Bungie title that has been left behind after the success of Halo, Marathon is a shooter from the era of games like Doom and Quake. If Marathon really makes a return, it could be a straight remaster of the original or a reimagining similar to the way the 2016 Doom brought the series into the modern age.

Regardless, since it’s unlikely for either of the id shooters to come to the Switch, getting a chance to play a similar shooter would fill a void on the console. Marathon paved the way for Bungie to create Halo, so seeing the game reimagined after all these years would give it a chance mix the old with the new.

Jet Set Radio

The Jet Set series is a beautiful mix of counter-culture style and fun, acrobatic gameplay. Weaving your way through levels on a pair of rollerblades is intuitive and engaging. Making your way through each level, pulling off insane tricks and collecting the secrets scattered throughout the game is consistently entertaining as well.

Just imagine a game like that on a portable system with the power of the Switch. The PS Vita already got a port of Jet Set Radio several years ago, but Nintendo’s new console could better realize the look and feel of the game, displaying it in HD and adding HD rumble to capture the athleticism of rollerblading through the concrete jungle.

Spyro the Dragon (not the Skylanders series)

Spyro hasn’t gotten a proper game of his own in years. The Skylanders series has never been more popular, but the scrappy purple dragon is not in the limelight as much as he once was. Back in the days of the PSOne, the Spyro series was one of the best platformers around. Gliding and spitting flames across a variety of unique stages was equal parts challenging and fun.

The Skylanders series is a multiplatform phenomenon that has more in common with the Gauntlet series of games than Spyro. So why not bring the fire breathing troublemaker to the Switch, giving players an old style collect-a-thon?

Darkstalkers

Capcom has a lot of fighting game series waiting in the wings. Street Fighter and the Marvel vs Capcom games continue to get new entries, but Darkstalkers has been left out of the picture almost entirely.

The game would work incredibly well depicted in an anime-like style, separating it from the Street Fighters and Smash Bros. games that will populate the Switch. It will also offer a different kind of fighting game, fleshing out the system’s library even further.

Panzer Dragoon

If Nintendo could snatch up the Panzer Dragoon license, it would have two unique styles of games they could release exclusively for Nintendo platforms. The majority of the Panzer Dragoon series were on-rail shooters with dazzling visuals that swept past in a blur as you flew towards hordes of enemies.

However, the series did try something different with Panzer Dragoon Saga, a turn-based RPG set in the same universe as the rest of the series. A new entry in either series would be a huge win for Nintendo, and hopefully give the Switch even more stellar games that you cannot play anywhere else.

Bonk

The adorable caveman with a head too big for his own body is fondly remembered by many due in part to his outrageous appearance. A fairly straightforward 2D platformer, if Nintendo could manage to bring Bonk back, they shouldn’t try anything too radical. The character is well suited to tight, carefully designed levels.

There hasn’t been a Bonk game in over 20 years. The character could be well served by a small indie team that knows what the caveman with an oversized cranium deserves. Bonk is a more niche forgotten game, but one that could make a triumphant comeback all the same.

Cuphead

Cuphead has been in development for the Xbox One and PC for years now. The game’s art style is reminiscent of 1930s cartoons. Every character is extremely emotive, with eyes the size of saucers giving away their every move before they even make it. It’s a combination of a 2D side-scroller and a shoot ‘em up. It looks to be incredibly challenging, requiring very deft platforming to make your way through each level and take down the fearsome bosses.

Quirky side-scrollers like this are always well-suited to Nintendo platforms. Cuphead also has smaller, bite-sized levels, making it a great candidate for portable play on the Switch as well. The art style certainly stands out above everything else, but it is clearly a game crafted with a lot of love.

Scalebound

Scalebound was unceremoniously canceled earlier this year. The ambitious action title promised combat on a scale not yet seen in a Platinum game, or any game for that matter. Protagonist Drew would fight alongside the hulking dragon Thuban, who would aid him in battle and take down some of the game’s bigger baddies.

Its combat was reminiscent of other Platinum games like Bayonetta, with fast-paced action and plenty of insane combos to pull off. Only this time you had a dragon to eviscerate enemies for you. Nintendo has worked extensively with Platinum in the past, publishing Bayonetta 2 on Wii U. Bringing Scalebound to Switch would give the console a fantastic action RPG with a scale that would be impressive on a handheld or big screen.

Detroit

David Cage’s newest effort at mixing the cinematic and the interactive looks like it may be his most interesting yet. Androids that have been enslaved by humanity and want to break free of their shackles make for incredibly interesting characters, and the scenarios we’ve seen have also been incredibly intriguing.

Getting a game like this on the Switch would give players something entirely new to try out. The story will be leaps and bounds ahead of anything else on the Switch and would be something completely different compared to the Big N’s usual offerings.

Agent

Agent has been in limbo for years, so why not snatch it up and bring it to a console that still has a lot to prove. The multiplayer-focused game takes advantage of GTA style antics and espionage to create a unique experience. We haven’t seen anything new in years, though. But after the success of GTA China Town Wars on the DS, Rockstar and Nintendo partnering again could be a fantastic move.

If the development team incorporated everything Rockstar has learned with the release of Red Dead Redemption and GTA V they could have an incredible success on their hands. Getting Agent in any form would be a dream come true, and getting it in a portable mode would just add to our excitement.

Sunset Overdrive

After years of releasing games on PlayStation platforms, Insomniac made the jump to the Xbox with Sunset Overdrive. The game was a success in almost every way except financially. The colorful world and creative mobility made playing it feel unlike anything else. Microsoft hasn’t mentioned it since the release of the first game, so if they don’t have any use for it why not continue the series on yet another console that isn’t a PlayStation.

Learning to traverse the game’s city scape by grinding and bouncing on the most random of objects was fun the first time around but there is always room for improvement. Even if the Switch is a little underpowered compared to the Xbox One, a new Sunset Overdrive or a port of the original would be an instant hit with Nintendo fans.

the Dark Souls games

Dark Souls quickly became a phenomenon. When the release of the Switch was growing near, rumors began to circulate that a collection of the trilogy was making its way to Nintendo’s handheld/portable.

The games themselves wouldn’t be any different but being able to play them anywhere would be well worth the price of entry. The Dark Souls games have come to nearly every other platform except Nintendo’s systems, so it is incredibly overdue.

Blinx the Time Sweeper

The license to Blinx the Time Sweeper is still up in the air. Microsoft clearly doesn’t have any interest on continuing the temporal adventures of the spiffy feline but Nintendo could always use another 3D platformer. We may never play Halo on the Switch but this could be a close second.

The original games were fun and whimsical, they were just released in a time when 3D platformers saturated the market. Reinvigorating the franchise could be just the move that Nintendo needs to make the Switch the next big thing.