The Top 10 Things We Want to See From Nintendo in 2021
The Nintendo Switch has continued to be a huge success for Nintendo, and for many good reasons. The Nintendo Switch has an amazing collection of exclusive games such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the continued dominance of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The Nintendo Switch also offers a form of flexibility that is currently unrivaled by allowing gamers the option of home console play or portable play. As we enter the halfway mark in the Nintendo Switch’s life cycle, it will be interesting to see what Nintendo has in store for gamers to keep them coming back to the middle-aged console. As a huge fan of Nintendo and the Nintendo Switch, I wanted to share my thoughts on 10 things I think Nintendo should do this year to really excite and entertain gamers.
1. New Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best selling game for the Nintendo Switch, selling around 30 million units world-wide. This is an incredible feat. That’s also a lot of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gamers who could potentially buy new downloadable content. Sure, Nintendo could release Mario Kart 9, but considering just how amazing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is, why bother? Just save Mario Kart 9 to launch with the Nintendo Switch’s successor in a few years. So, what would be included in this brand new Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC? I’m glad you asked. First, I’d add 6 brand new cups, bringing the total cups to 18. Each cup would include 4 courses, with a mix of brand new tracks and classic tracks remade. I’d love to see a “Cappy Cup” wholly inspired by Super Mario Odyssey, with tracks taking place in locations such as New Donk City. Pauline would also join the mix as a new racer. I’d also love to see a couple more crossovers too. Bring Samus from Metroid into the mix, complete with a Metroid-inspired kart and a Planet Zebes track. And why not add a little Star Fox to the mix, with little Arwing karts and a huge track taking place in outer space – think Rainbow Road, but amongst an epic battle above Corneria. I’d also love to see another 4 Battle Courses added to the Battle Mode, maybe a pair of brand new courses and a pair of remakes such as Skyscraper from Mario Kart 64.
2. Love for the Nintendo 64
2021 is the 25th anniversary of the Nintendo 64 and that is one console that must be celebrated. The N64 is home to an iconic collection of amazing games from Super Mario 64 and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark. The question is, how should Nintendo celebrate this momentous anniversary? While it would be great for Nintendo to release a Nintendo 64 Classic, similar to SNES Classic Edition and the NES Classic Edition, I just wonder if the N64 controller would translate well to a modern audience.
You’d also need to provide players with four controllers, since the N64 really pushed the local multiplayer with four controller ports. This is why I believe a better option would be to add a library of Nintendo 64 games to Nintendo Switch Online. The games would feature many of the great enhancements we’ve seen with NES and SNES games, such as the ability to save at any time or rewind time. And if the recent release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars is any indication, playing N64 games on the Switch Pro Controller will be an absolute treat.
3. Fighters Pass 3 for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has become more than just a game, it’s become an event. An event that has been showcasing the absolute best and most iconic characters in gaming. Since it’s release, we’ve received two incredible Fighters Passes, each adding more and more icons to the line-up. Yes, the Fighters Pass 2 still has three as-of-yet unknown fighters to join the fray, but no matter what three fighters are included – there are dozens of others fighters worthy of being added. This is why I’m hoping once Nintendo completes Fighters Pass Vol. 2 later this year, that they’ll get back at it with Fighters Pass Vol. 3. Who should join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? I would suggest any of the following: Lara Croft (Tomb Raider), Crash Bandicoot, a fighter from Mortal Kombat, the Doom Slayer (Doom), Kratos (God of War), Conker (Conker’s Bad Fur Day), and Master Chief (Halo).
4. Love for the Legend of Zelda
On February 21st, 2021, the Legend of Zelda franchise turns 35, and much like Nintendo did with the Super Mario franchise, the Legend of Zelda franchise deserves a big celebration too! There are a couple things that I would like to see happen. First, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 must launch this year. Breath of the Wild was nothing short of incredible, so expectations are high for the sequel. Second, a compilation including some of Link’s adventures would be incredible. This would include the remastered versions of Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, The Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess all in one package. But why won’t stop there? I purpose they also remaster and include Skyward Sword as well, this time with an option to play the game without those awkward motion controls.
5. Cloud Gaming Push
The Nintendo Switch is an incredible piece of hardware, capable of doing more than any Nintendo console has ever done before. 1st party games look absolutely stunning on there – Nintendo just knows how to make their games look and play amazing on their hardware. However, third parties don’t always have the time or resources to adjust their games to play on the Nintendo Switch, instead opting for the superior power of Microsoft and Sony’s respective consoles. Rather than do something silly like releasing a “Nintendo Switch Pro” (more on that later), Nintendo should continue to encourage devs/pubs to bring their biggest games to the Switch via cloud gaming. Entire platforms are built off cloud gaming, such as the Google Stadia – so the technology is there. We’ve seen a couple games already come to Nintendo Switch via cloud gaming, such as last year’s Control. And soon, Hitman 3 will join the Nintendo Switch library via cloud gaming. This is a big opportunity for Nintendo to ensure their consumers have the latest and greatest third party hits playable on their console.
Check out page 2 for the top 5 things we’d love to see from Nintendo in 2021.