10 Switch Ports We NEVER Thought Would Happen
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VOICE OVER: Ty Richardson
WRITTEN BY: Ty Richardson
There are tons of titles that have been ported to Switch, but there are the ones we never though would happen! For this list, we'll be looking at the ports to Nintendo's latest console that surprised us the most, whether it was because of technical fidelity or company reputations. Our list includes "The Witcher III: Wild Hunt" (2015), "DOOM" (2016), "No Man's Sky" (2016), "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" (2017), and more!
Script written by Ty Richardson
There are tons of titles that have been ported to Switch, but there are the ones we never though would happen! For this list, we'll be looking at the ports to Nintendo's latest console that surprised us the most, whether it was because of technical fidelity or company reputations. Our list includes "The Witcher III: Wild Hunt" (2015), "DOOM" (2016), "No Man's Sky" (2016), "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" (2017), and more! Which Switch port surprised you the most? Share with us in the comments below!
The “Dark Souls” games have mostly been synonymous with PC gaming. (Cue the “PC master race” plebs.) Sure, the games have also been enjoyable on console, but if you wanted the definitive experience or some goofy mod installed, then PC was the way to go. So, we never thought we’d see even a remaster for the first “Dark Souls” ever make its way to Switch. To commemorate the historical moment even more, an amiibo of Solaire of Astora was announced so we could always praise the sun alongside our favorite knight. Needless to say, this was a pretty big deal as it opened up “Dark Souls” to a whole new audience.
With every game they develop, id Software does their damn hardest to push technology to its absolute limits. From graphical fidelity to AI, it’s hard to imagine something like 2016’s “DOOM” on anything less than a high-end PC or PS4. And yet those tech wizards at id found a way. While the port isn’t as impressive as other versions (having a locked thirty frames per second and textures not being as detailed), the atmosphere and environments overall still look astounding. Does it go against the presentation and performance id normally strives for? Maybe, but slaying demons on the go is all we wanted. And we got it!
“The Ezio Collection” is a massive package for players. With three games and two movies rolled into one, this is absolutely a collection worth owning. Whereas some might say seeing old games like the ones featured in “The Ezio Collection” isn’t shocking, we understand. These are old games from the late 2000’s and early 2010’s. However, it’s not the technical prowess that gets it on here. We’re more impressed with how it’s all packed into such a tiny cartridge. Even if these are Xbox 360-PS3 era games, they are still massive in size. Many ports and collections sell only download codes or expect players to access the game through cloud services. So, this was more impressive than one would think.
While “Hellblade” was made before developer Ninja Theory was bought by Xbox in 2018, it was roughly a year after the fact when the game landed on Switch. One would expect Microsoft would want to restrict one of their newly acquired IPs from being on platforms not owned by them. And yet, “Hellblade” somehow made its way to the Switch. Even with brightened visuals and weaker shadowing, the game still looks surprisingly good on Switch despite the compromises made. So, even if this was the only way you could experience “Hellblade”, it’s not a bad deal!
Publisher Raw Thrills has primarily focused on the revived arcade scene over the last decade, supplying chains like Dave & Buster’s with the latest cabinets from various developers. With such resounding success, it’s almost a shock that they didn’t start publishing home console games until last year with “Cruis’n Blast”. Does the game look better than the arcade version? Not really, but few ports have since arcade cabinets have their own dedicated tech to work with. Still, it’s just as fun to play, and it drives home the utter insanity you’ll encounter across the explosive and chaotic tracks.
Over the last several years, “No Man’s Sky” has grown to be a massive live service game regardless of its troubles at initial launch. Base building has been expanded upon, there are more ways to discover and explore planets, and its amassed millions of players. Between its visual fidelity and sheer scope, we didn’t think something of this scale could ever really exist on the Switch. And yet, it was announced during a Nintendo Direct in February 2022. It’s mere existence has us impressed. We only hope it's not going to be one of those physical copies hiding a download code instead of a cartridge.
After a troublesome decade being an exclusive IP under EA, “Star Wars” has been seeing a major comeback in the video game space. While newer titles like “Jedi: Fallen Order” and “Squadrons” have restored our faith in the franchise, we’ve also seen a handful of old “Star Wars” games getting remastered and ported to modern consoles. One could see “The Force Unleashed” coming a mile away, but the shocking part of it is that it’s not exactly a straight-up remaster like the other old games. It’s actually a port of the Wii version, and the port itself has not been announced for any other platform at the time of this video. Honestly, we were expecting the PlayStation and Xbox versions to be announced as well. Maybe Nintendo has some exclusivity deal on this?
Valve hasn’t really held a presence in console gaming since “The Orange Box” brought “Half-Life”, “Team Fortress 2”, and “Portal” to Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2007. “Left 4 Dead” and “CSGO” kind of closed that chapter in the early 2010’s as the company shifted focus to their own gaming platform, Steam. Here we are, roughly a decade since the last console game Valve released, and they’re bringing “Portal” to the Switch. With the “Companion Collection”, players can experience both the original “Portal” and its sequel on the go, all for a reasonable cost of twenty USD. While you’ll be able to play this on Steam Deck (Valve’s own Switch-like system), it’s cool to see them cater to another community outside of their own and introduce “Portal” to a whole new generation of players.
Have you ever played “The Witcher III”? It’s massive. And not just massive. Like, “you’re not going to have a life nor buy another game for a whole year” massive. This game has been famous and infamous for the hundreds of hours packed in between exploring its expansive world and completing its seemingly countless side quests. And through some unholy rituals at CD Projekt and Nintendo, it all manages to fit in a tiny cartridge and run on a Nintendo Switch. Is it going to drain your battery when playing on the go? Yeah, probably, but before 2019, there was no reason for us to believe the Switch could handle a game of this size.
You wanna talk about games with crazy impressive visuals? Well, “Warframe” seems like a bit of stretch. Admittedly, yes, the game doesn’t look super great in terms of resolution, and the framerate has been sacrificed and lowered to thirty frames per second (twenty-four in densely packed areas). However, this huge free-to-play offers up settings similar to that of a normal PC, and even with certain settings turned off, the game still holds up visually well and plays great. It may not be the preferable way to play “Warframe”, but one must recognize this as a technical feat regardless.
There are tons of titles that have been ported to Switch, but there are the ones we never though would happen! For this list, we'll be looking at the ports to Nintendo's latest console that surprised us the most, whether it was because of technical fidelity or company reputations. Our list includes "The Witcher III: Wild Hunt" (2015), "DOOM" (2016), "No Man's Sky" (2016), "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" (2017), and more! Which Switch port surprised you the most? Share with us in the comments below!
“Dark Souls Remastered” (2018)
The “Dark Souls” games have mostly been synonymous with PC gaming. (Cue the “PC master race” plebs.) Sure, the games have also been enjoyable on console, but if you wanted the definitive experience or some goofy mod installed, then PC was the way to go. So, we never thought we’d see even a remaster for the first “Dark Souls” ever make its way to Switch. To commemorate the historical moment even more, an amiibo of Solaire of Astora was announced so we could always praise the sun alongside our favorite knight. Needless to say, this was a pretty big deal as it opened up “Dark Souls” to a whole new audience.
“DOOM” (2016)
With every game they develop, id Software does their damn hardest to push technology to its absolute limits. From graphical fidelity to AI, it’s hard to imagine something like 2016’s “DOOM” on anything less than a high-end PC or PS4. And yet those tech wizards at id found a way. While the port isn’t as impressive as other versions (having a locked thirty frames per second and textures not being as detailed), the atmosphere and environments overall still look astounding. Does it go against the presentation and performance id normally strives for? Maybe, but slaying demons on the go is all we wanted. And we got it!
“Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection” (2022)
“The Ezio Collection” is a massive package for players. With three games and two movies rolled into one, this is absolutely a collection worth owning. Whereas some might say seeing old games like the ones featured in “The Ezio Collection” isn’t shocking, we understand. These are old games from the late 2000’s and early 2010’s. However, it’s not the technical prowess that gets it on here. We’re more impressed with how it’s all packed into such a tiny cartridge. Even if these are Xbox 360-PS3 era games, they are still massive in size. Many ports and collections sell only download codes or expect players to access the game through cloud services. So, this was more impressive than one would think.
“Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice” (2017)
While “Hellblade” was made before developer Ninja Theory was bought by Xbox in 2018, it was roughly a year after the fact when the game landed on Switch. One would expect Microsoft would want to restrict one of their newly acquired IPs from being on platforms not owned by them. And yet, “Hellblade” somehow made its way to the Switch. Even with brightened visuals and weaker shadowing, the game still looks surprisingly good on Switch despite the compromises made. So, even if this was the only way you could experience “Hellblade”, it’s not a bad deal!
“Cruis’n Blast” (2021)
Publisher Raw Thrills has primarily focused on the revived arcade scene over the last decade, supplying chains like Dave & Buster’s with the latest cabinets from various developers. With such resounding success, it’s almost a shock that they didn’t start publishing home console games until last year with “Cruis’n Blast”. Does the game look better than the arcade version? Not really, but few ports have since arcade cabinets have their own dedicated tech to work with. Still, it’s just as fun to play, and it drives home the utter insanity you’ll encounter across the explosive and chaotic tracks.
“No Man’s Sky” (2016)
Over the last several years, “No Man’s Sky” has grown to be a massive live service game regardless of its troubles at initial launch. Base building has been expanded upon, there are more ways to discover and explore planets, and its amassed millions of players. Between its visual fidelity and sheer scope, we didn’t think something of this scale could ever really exist on the Switch. And yet, it was announced during a Nintendo Direct in February 2022. It’s mere existence has us impressed. We only hope it's not going to be one of those physical copies hiding a download code instead of a cartridge.
“Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” (2008)
After a troublesome decade being an exclusive IP under EA, “Star Wars” has been seeing a major comeback in the video game space. While newer titles like “Jedi: Fallen Order” and “Squadrons” have restored our faith in the franchise, we’ve also seen a handful of old “Star Wars” games getting remastered and ported to modern consoles. One could see “The Force Unleashed” coming a mile away, but the shocking part of it is that it’s not exactly a straight-up remaster like the other old games. It’s actually a port of the Wii version, and the port itself has not been announced for any other platform at the time of this video. Honestly, we were expecting the PlayStation and Xbox versions to be announced as well. Maybe Nintendo has some exclusivity deal on this?
“Portal: Companion Collection” (2022)
Valve hasn’t really held a presence in console gaming since “The Orange Box” brought “Half-Life”, “Team Fortress 2”, and “Portal” to Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2007. “Left 4 Dead” and “CSGO” kind of closed that chapter in the early 2010’s as the company shifted focus to their own gaming platform, Steam. Here we are, roughly a decade since the last console game Valve released, and they’re bringing “Portal” to the Switch. With the “Companion Collection”, players can experience both the original “Portal” and its sequel on the go, all for a reasonable cost of twenty USD. While you’ll be able to play this on Steam Deck (Valve’s own Switch-like system), it’s cool to see them cater to another community outside of their own and introduce “Portal” to a whole new generation of players.
“The Witcher III: Wild Hunt” (2015)
Have you ever played “The Witcher III”? It’s massive. And not just massive. Like, “you’re not going to have a life nor buy another game for a whole year” massive. This game has been famous and infamous for the hundreds of hours packed in between exploring its expansive world and completing its seemingly countless side quests. And through some unholy rituals at CD Projekt and Nintendo, it all manages to fit in a tiny cartridge and run on a Nintendo Switch. Is it going to drain your battery when playing on the go? Yeah, probably, but before 2019, there was no reason for us to believe the Switch could handle a game of this size.
“Warframe” (2013)
You wanna talk about games with crazy impressive visuals? Well, “Warframe” seems like a bit of stretch. Admittedly, yes, the game doesn’t look super great in terms of resolution, and the framerate has been sacrificed and lowered to thirty frames per second (twenty-four in densely packed areas). However, this huge free-to-play offers up settings similar to that of a normal PC, and even with certain settings turned off, the game still holds up visually well and plays great. It may not be the preferable way to play “Warframe”, but one must recognize this as a technical feat regardless.
