I've Stopped Caring About The Switch 2, But One Game Would Make Me Buy It At Launch

The Nintendo Switch has a number of phenomenal landmark franchises, from sprawling JRPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Fire Emblem to iconic mascot experiences like Super Mario Wonder and Breath of the Wild. Each of these cemented the Switch as being a worthwhile console and most were why I picked one up in the first place. Back in 2017, it felt like a need to play Breath of the Wild, a requirement as a JRPG fan to have experienced Xenoblade Chronicles 2 at least once, and, eventually, a must to play the epic school-sim SRPG, Fire Emblem Three Houses.

I loved all of these games, which is why, back in 2021, maybe 2022, I was actually excited for a Switch 2. However, as more time passed, and as my Nintendo Switch quickly began to collect dust, my desire for a Switch 2 dwindled significantly. It has gotten to the point where I'm not sure if I even want one, and yet, there is one first-party Nintendo game that would get me to buy a Nintendo Switch 2 in a heartbeat so long as it launched alongside it.

I wish I cared more about the Nintendo Switch 2 than I do, but I really don't. The muted announcement trailer did little to raise my spirits, and having long since put down my Switch - it rests rather neatly yet hauntingly silently on a shelf in my house - I don't have much affinity for anything coming out for the platform. The Switch 2 is also not inherently exciting. It more or less looks the same, albeit a bit more black and bigger, and we've not seen any gameplay of upcoming games save that five-second Mario Kart 9 clip.

Considering the Nintendo Switch 2 is outdated the second it comes out, thus likely barely able to play newer titles like Monster Hunter Wilds, I'm more likely to invest in a newer handheld PC than the Nintendo Switch 2.

It also doesn't help that I own a ROG Ally. For years, I suffered through badly optimized ports of games on the Switch simply because I prefer to play handheld, but the ROG Ally doesn't really have that problem. It runs games far better than the original Switch could ever hope to, and considering the Nintendo Switch 2 is outdated the second it comes out, thus likely barely able to play newer titles like Monster Hunter Wilds, I'm more likely to invest in a newer handheld PC than the Nintendo Switch 2. There's really nothing here worth getting excited about.

That's not to say that I think people who are excited are wrong in feeling that way. I can understand the buzz behind the Nintendo Switch 2, especially as it has been such a long time in the making. However, I can't see anything that could convince me to buy one on launch day. Well, that is save for one game: Xenoblade Chronicles 4. If Monolith Soft announces its next game during the Nintendo Switch 2 April Direct and reveals it is releasing as a launch title, I wouldn't hesitate to pre-order a Switch 2.

I am a huge Xenoblade Chronicles fan, so much so that I'd be willing to fork over potentially $400 for the Switch 2 just to play the next entry. Of course, I'm well aware that Monolith Soft is pretty much done with the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise, so there's little chance of me getting another numbered entry. However, I'd pick up a Switch 2 for whatever game it has been developing over the past few years, so long as it isn't some bizarre dating sim or looks blatantly terrible. Fortunately, I doubt either of those would happen.

They Make The Most Of Nintendo's Hardware

There's more to my desire for a Switch 2 Monolith Soft launch title beyond loving the developer and everything it creates. Historically, Monolith has pushed Nintendo's hardware to its absolute limit, and its games served as a showcase for what each console is capable of. Each Xenoblade game was the pinnacle of what its Nintendo console could offer, with Xenoblade Chronicles X almost being too big to fit onto a Wii U disc. If Monolith Soft has a game releasing for the Nintendo Switch 2 on day one, we can be sure it'll push the console to its absolute limits.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is rumored to release on Nintendo Switch 2, and I couldn't think of a more ideal launch title for the new console

That's an exciting prospect and also a helpful way of gauging just what we can expect from the Nintendo Switch 2 going forward in terms of performance, graphical fidelity, and level of ambition for its biggest projects. Of course, not every Nintendo game needs to be a sprawling JRPG, but there's nothing like a massive 100+ narrative-drive, cutscene-heavy, open-world JRPG to showcase just how powerful your hardware is. Hopefully, the Nintendo Switch 2 has a Monolith Soft game lined up at launch, otherwise, I can't imagine I'll be picking one up any time soon.

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