With the reveal of the Nintendo Switch, there's been a lot of speculation. Mainly, the biggest question is what games will find new homes with the console. Of all the genres out there, we'd like see a variety of fighting games at the system's launch -- or shortly thereafter.
We've complied a list of games we'd love to see on the new gaming console. Some games are current favorites, some are titles that deserve a revival, while others maybe somewhat obscure. Regardless, each game on this list would bring much welcomed competition to Nintendo's newest console.
Ahh, Street Fighter V, one of the most popular eSports titles around.
Sure the game has had its share of controversies, but you can't deny it's one of the best fighters out there.
The game has deep mechanics, fierce gameplay and nuance after nuance. When you look at any match between pros, you can see its intricacies at work. With 22 characters to chose from and a number of varied stages, there's enough fighting-game content to hold anyone's attention.
Now, it's pretty unlikely SFV may grace another console considering it was co-funded by Sony.
Regardless, SFV also supports a very robust online competitive scene.
We don't know what the nature of the Switch's online structure will be, but we're fairly certain many will spend hours fighting worldwide, especially if Street Fighter V makes its way to the console.
King of Fighters XIV in our opinion is the second best fighter to be released in 2016. So we're hoping it finds its way to the Nintendo Switch at launch. Its availability would make sense considering SNK has been on a campaign of change if you will.
So why King of Fighter XIV? Well, one good reason is its roster of 50 fighters. No game released recently can boast those numbers. The mechanics are pretty advanced and that's putting it mildly. You'll feel more like a tactician against the competition.
You can spend hours learning the game. Then there's the in-game content; an engrossing story, character trails, art and more. This game offers a lot.
Tekken 7 is the next fighter on our list. For years Tekken has been considered one of the best 3D fighting games on the market. Across any console it's been available on, the series has set industry and genre standards again and again. It's also one of the few fighters where you can fight in full 360-degreee plane.
Tekken 7 not only adds more characters to the series, but it also expands on the series' core gameplay mechanics. Fighters now have super combos that deliver massive damage.
Of course, it goes without saying the game is beautiful, too. Fighters hail from new parts of the world and possess numerous fighting styles, fleshing out the series' lore and global feel. Who doesn't want to play a game that has superhumans, zombies, robot girls and generational samurai?
Of course, no list for a Nintendo console would be complete without a Smash Bros mention. This is most likely a sure thing for Nintendo. Super Smash Bros. 4 is premiere eSport that has gameplay fit for casuals, professionals and everyone in-between. That's not to mention the Smash Bros franchise has been a staple for Nintendo since it first released for the N64 in 1999.
Super Smash Bros' popularity is well deserved on so many levels. The in-game content is massive. Its history encompasses years of Nintendo titles, and more recently others. The highest levels of competition require players' minds to move at breakneck speeds.
The latest title also features a unique roster with more quests from non-Nintendo franchises. I mean Ryu vs Greninja? Who doesn't want that on a new console?
The next brawler we think should be available is Injustice 2, which serves as the beefier sequel to the surprising Injustice. The fighter features heroes and villains from the pages of DC comics, and the newest entry leans on the popularity of the DC TV shows, featuring those heroes front and center. Supergirl vs The Flash anyone?
From the development studio that created Mortal Kombat, Injustice 2 will continue offering gameplay unique to itself. The title features some destructible environments and hazards, while characters can gain armor and added abilities as battles progress.
The Switch would be a good place to answer the question: Can Batman really beat Superman?
Mortal Kombat XL should be made available on the Switch because it would bring older, more mature players to the console.
The latest game in the series is a culmination of Mortal Kombat's best mechanics and style. The character roster features more than 30 combatants, and even horror and sci-fi film favorites Jason Voorhees, the Alien and the Predator. What's more, the game features a robust campaign/story mode.
Oh, and did we mention the fatalities are pretty brutal?
It may not be the most popular title on the list, but of all the fighters released in 2016, Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator is arguably the best. Nearly every ounce of the game has been influenced by the rock and roll genre, not to mention the series has been a staple of the fighting game genre for years.
Xrd was developed by Arc System Work, which has been making fighters for nearly 20 years. As such, Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator features everything you could ask for in a fighting game. The fighters are all flashy in their own ways, the game features a robust tutorial that will teach noobs and pros alike nearly every single nuance in the game, and well, the game's just darn pretty. Let me tell you there's a lot.
Let me tell you, there's a lot going on here.
The gameplay is fast, furious, highly technical and so so beautiful. We really hope the Switch is graced with this entry in the series.
If the Switch should find a cross-over game then, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 should be it. The Marvel games target a certain niche within the fighter genre --unlike any others. At its highest level of play, it's hard to keep track of what's going on on-screen, and that's why it's a must play.
The title is incredibly technical at its highest level and requires players to be on their toes at all times. Anything can swing the match in favor of you or your foe. You have to have the presence of mind to recognize opportunity and potential misfortune. Really, it's a game that pros and casual players can both pick up and enjoy.
Dissidia Final Fantasy is up next on our wishlist for the Switch.
Without a doubt, everyone knows about the Final Fantasy series. AND everyone also has personal favorites. With those favorites, you'll find conversations about which hero/foe is strongest and so forth. And this is the title settle all those debates once and for all.
A new arcade game that pits heroes and villains of the series against each other, Dissidia could make a huge splash on the Nintendo Switch, especially if Nintendo's new console is the first to feature the game's home release.
Players would finally be able to live out Final Fantasy fighting fan fiction feverishly.
Last on the list is the not so obscure Skullgirls 2nd Encore. Developed by a team of fighting game fans, Skullgirls is a very forward-thinking title.
At its core, the game plays like a cross-over title, much like the games in the Marvel vs Capcom series. But unlike that series, Skullgirls players have a number of options for matches. Players can elect to use one fighter, a team of two fighters or a team of three fighters for each match, adding a wide variety of match types not typically found in other fighting games.
The game is also special because it features a cast of nearly all female fighters. Wacky and unique, each character looks as if they were pulled from various eras of animation. And because of all its quirks, it would make too much sense for this game to find its way to the Nintendo Switch.
So that's our list of 10 fighters we'd like the Nintendo Switch to have. Of course, some have a better chance of others at making the jump to the new console when it launches in 2017, but who knows, maybe we'll see em' all.
Agreed with our list? Disagree with the list? Do you have a better list? Let us know in the comments section below.
Published: Nov 13, 2016 11:43 am