5 Nintendo Games That Still Need a Switch 2 Edition

4

Super Mario Odyssey

Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

If we’re not getting a new 3D Mario game for a little longer, maybe we can at least visit one of the best out there. A Switch 2 upgrade for Super Mario Odyssey feels inevitable considering that Nintendo loves to spruce up the Switch’s best games and resell them, “Greatest Hits” style. Odyssey doesn’t need much in the way of a technical upgrade, but it would be great to see it bundled with an add-on game in the same vein as Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. For my money, the compact Bowser’s Fury is an underrated 3D Mario game that transcends its pack-in status. I’d love to see the team at Nintendo EPD get a chance to make another game of its scale that serves as a tasty appetizer for Mario’s next full 3D adventure.

3

Super Mario Maker 2

Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

Frankly, I can’t believe that Super Mario Maker 2 has yet to get a Switch 2 Edition. Maybe it’s just a matter of low sales giving Nintendo cold feet, but Super Mario Maker 2 feels like it should have been a day-one Switch 2 port. Two words: mouse controls. No series feels as custom-made for Switch 2’s wacky control gimmick than Super Mario Maker; I’m begging Nintendo to let me create levels with a mouse. Beyond that, it feels like there’s a real opportunity here for Nintendo to toss in a modern variant of Mario Paint to spice up the package and position Super Mario Maker 2 as the ultimate creative suite. At the very least, would it be too much to ask for a Super Mario Bros. Wonder theme for levels, too?

2

Luigi’s Mansion 3

Next Level Games/Nintendo

Luigi’s Mansion 3, in my view, is the unsung hero of the Switch library. While it received plenty of acclaim in 2019, you rarely hear it talked about in the same breath as Fire Emblem: Three Houses or Kirby and the Forgotten Land. A great Switch 2 Edition could help change that. Boosting the game to a smooth 60 frames per second could help developer Next Level Games’ excellent animation really sing. There’s plenty of room to package in some additional content too, whether that’s more multiplayer levels, some minigames that play with mouse controls, or a proper DLC.

1

Game Builder Garage

Image: Nintendo

More than any other game on this list, Game Builder Garage is here for purely practical reasons. Nintendo’s charming game development tool is one of a few Switch games that’s straight up not compatible with Switch 2, thanks to its reliance on the original Joy-Cons. Nintendo ought to fix that eventually, even if it’s just for preservation reasons. But like Super Mario Maker 2, an upgrade that adds mouse controls to the mix feels like a slam dunk. Game Builder Garage had potential as an educational tool when it first released in 2021, and an upgrade that makes it even more tactile feels like exactly what it needs to fully pay its pitch off.