Hey, everyone! This is James Thompson from SwitchWatch. I am back with 3 Game Franchises We Would Love to See on the Switch: Part 4. If you missed the first three parts of this Franchises series, make sure to go back and check 3 Game Franchises Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Let’s jump into Part 4!
3. Deus Ex
The Deus Ex franchise has been an equal mixture of impressive and disappointing entries. The first Deus Ex came out in 2000 to critical acclaim. The game takes place in the year 2052 in an alternate reality where all those conspiracy theories you may have heard actually turned out to be true. The world is a dark and bleak futuristic society where human augment themselves with various robotic body parts that give them amazing abilities. This in turn has caused tension between those who choose augment themselves and those who wish to remain completely human.
I won’t go into the story, as everything from the opening scenes could be considered spoilers and the conspiracy laden narrative is a good portion of the overall experience. Even with all the open world games that I have experienced since then, I have never played a game that was so intricate and meticulous in making sure that your choices and actions mattered. Everything you say and do causes some kind of ripple later in the game. Even random rantings of a crazed homeless man actually ended up being true once I did some investigating in one playthrough.
The second game Deus Ex: Invisible War, was good, but ultimately not as great as it’s predecessor in every way except visually. It felt like an expansion rather than evolution of the first Deus Ex. The third entry Human Evolution introduced new protagonist Adam Jensen and also acted a prequel to the previous two games. This game breathed new life into the franchise which resulted in some smaller mobile games and it’s sequel Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Unfortunately, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was more of a disappointment due to the game ending at what everyone considered should have been the halfway point of the game. The forced inclusion of micro transactions and competitive multiplayer didn’t help as well.
Despite the tumultuous history, the gameplay has always remained fun and engaging in the Deus Ex games. Players could go down countless paths to complete missions. You could choose to even bypass boss fights entirely or even defeat them with one word if you had the right intel. The freedom given to the player in the series is refreshing and kept me coming back for multiple playthroughs.
Due to how poorly Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was received, all plans for the franchise have been seemingly shelved according to the developer. That is very disappointing as I think bringing these games to the Nintendo Switch would expand their fan base and redeem the tainted brand. Anything is possible and hopefully that means one day Square Enix and Eidos will give it another chance on our favorite portable system.
2. Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts is a franchise that needs no introduction. Ever since Square Enix and Disney initially collaborated on combining the worlds of Final Fantasy and Disney, no one can seem to get enough of this series. Starting on the PS2, Kingdom Hearts has been on almost every platform from the Gameboy to even cell phones. Despite this, not one entry has been ported to the Nintendo Switch.
For those who have been living under a rock, Kingdom Hearts often places you in the oversized shoes of Sora and his friends as they try to save the world from darkness. Sora’s allies consist of everyone from Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7 to Chicken Little from the similarly titled movie. As silly as this premise may sound, this has resulted in remarkable storytelling despite how convoluted the lore.
The games are mostly all action RPGS that have the best controls in the genre. Combat is fast paced and fun including magic, summons, and joint combos. Though most feel there was a slight downgrade in the overall experience from Kingdom Hearts 2 in the third entry.
Most of the worlds you explore are torn right out of a Disney movie. I loved exploring all the various settings from my favorite Disney films with my favorite characters. Whether I was fighting Hades and his minions with Hercules or traversing around the Pride Lands with Simba, I just couldn’t get enough.
As mentioned earlier, there has not been a hint of Kingdom Hearts coming to the Nintendo Switch. This is very odd as the newest entry came out a year ago and just released some DLC, so one would think Square Enix would want to expand their fan base as much as possible. Plus the Nintendo crowd is probably their main demographic just based on the content coming out on the Switch. With previous entries in the Kingdom Hearts franchise already on other Nintendo Systems, I can’t imagine we will have to wait too much longer to be enjoying this unique franchise on the Switch.
1. Mass Effect
There are few gaming franchises that have a fan base with such mixed feelings about it as Mass Effect. The original trilogy was loved by both fans and critics alike despite some shortcomings in the first and third entries. Mass Effect: Andromeda, which is the fourth entry, on other hand had such a poor reception that the future of the franchise is currently in question.
The first three Mass Effect games places you in the role of Shepherd (male or female) who along with their crew must save the universe from a threat that most doubt even exist in the first place. This dynamic leads to some deep and often dark story telling despite it’s mostly bright and futuristic setting. Every choice the player makes ultimately decides the fate of their universe.
The first Mass Effect had an incredible story with gameplay that was more serviceable than fun. The sequel blew everyone out the water as they refined all the combat mechanics which made the game’s action just as engaging as the story. The final entry in the trilogy perfected almost everything. The entire game had a very cinematic feel to it. Unfortunately, the four possible endings for the trilogy resulted in so much backlash that Bioware had to release DLC months later in attempt to make them more meaningful to players.
Mass Effect: Andromeda tried to capture the magic of the original trilogy, but like so many franchises that attempted this in the past, just ended up disappointing everyone. Between glitches, an uninspired story, and forgettable characters, the game was poorly received. As a result, this franchise has ultimately been shelved.
With the popularity of the original trilogy, I am surprised that Bioware and EA have yet to announce a remaster for the Nintendo Switch. The best way to gain interest and revitalize a dying franchise is often to expose the best of it to a new audience. Bioware did post an ominous tweet in January of this year referencing the original Mass Effect trilogy which has led to a lot of speculation of a possible remaster. Though nothing has been announced yet, I have a feeling that some time in the next year, we should hear some good news about Mass Effect coming to the Switch.
That concludes my fourth entry of 3 gaming franchises that I would love to see brought to the Nintendo Switch. I have plenty more lists to come for this franchises series, so please stay tuned for my next few installments.
Do you agree with my list? Please let me know in the comments! Thank you for stopping by Switchwatch.co.uk. See you next time!
