Nintendo is making a comeback unlike any other. Their sales are strong, the anticipation for their games is high, and their console is being held in high regards by gamers around the world. They are loving it and they are loving the experience it provides. It’s a delightful little piece of hardware. It’s portable, it’s easy to use, and it’s great even for sitting on the couch and getting some gaming in.
Also: How the Xbox One’s 2018 is Shaping Up
The Nintendo Switch, without a doubt, is bringing Nintendo back into a Golden Age. The press love it, the consumers love it, and even developers are loving the console. Third party developers, publishers, and even first-party teams are having a blast bringing their games to it. That’s what’s making 2017 so great for Nintendo: their console is loved. 2018 is already looking to be an even bigger year for Nintendo and their partners. So how big is 2018 looking to be? Let’s just say gigantic, so big that it’ll actually make a sizable list. So let’s get to it.
Kirby Star Allies | Nintendo
If you want to talk Nintendo, you can’t talk about them and discuss Kirby, one of Nintendo’s most beloved characters out there. It seems in the recent years, Kirby and all the pink-fluffiness Kirby is, has been making a moderately surprising comeback. So much of a comeback, that Kirby is getting a new game exclusively for the Nintendo Switch in 2018.
Kirby Star Allies looks to be just as fun as it sounds. Since not a lot has been said about it, we can gather from the trailer above that Kirby will be teaming up with some new allies, quite possibly players, and will see this little group making their way across traditional platforming themed levels while inhaling enemies to gain special abilities, slide attacking, using air-guns, and more when the game releases. For now, there’s just not too much to go on, and we can honestly say that Kirby will be making a comeback sometime in 2018.
Travis Strikes Again | Grasshopper Manufacture
It’s been a while since Grasshopper Manufacture has talked about their off-the-wall hero named Travis. He’s crazy, he’s off-the-wall, and most of all, he just happens to be insane. To help usher in a new era, developer Grasshopper Manufacture and publisher Marvelous have announced that they are bringing Travis back, and this time exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. After all, Travis did first appear on the Nintendo Wii in his debut game No More Heroes.
In this new title, we’ve learned that it’s been seven years since the events of No More Heroes 2 and Travis is running out of luck once again. Why? It all takes place after Badman hunting down our not-so-lucky hero. He’s mad about Travis having murdered his daughter, Bad Girl, and was out for revenge. During their little fisticuffs, they were sucked into a video game console, which was canceled, and even carted by Dr. Juvenile. This new title? Explores what happened to Travis and Badman after they were carted by Dr. Juvenile in ‘The Death Drive MK-II”.
Shin Megami Tensei V | Atlus USA
It’s time for Nintendo fans to rejoice if they’ve been following the Nintendo exclusive series. Why? We’re about to see the fifth installment release exclusively on the Nintendo Switch in 2018. While we did see Shin Megami Tensei IV and it’s continuation Apocalypse release on the Nintendo 3DS, we’re getting to see the series continue on, and do so in HD glory on Nintendo’s latest handheld.
Unfortunately, we don’t know a lot about where the story is going. All we know is there’s a trailer, a release window for 2018, and a chance that we could very well see the game release somewhere in the first or second quarters of 2018. The downside to this wait? Nintendo fans probably want to know a lot more about this upcoming title and they want it now.
Pokémon (Untitled) | Pokémon Company
Nintendo has struck gold with the Pokémon franchise. It’s over 20 years old, more than ten games released, not including spin-offs, and has continued on thanks to newer generations of creatures. With its anime running strong, a mobile game keeping gamers busy, and plenty of video games to enjoy; Pokémon is making headway into its Nintendo Switch days.
The downside about its upcoming game for ‘2018 or later’? We don’t know when in 2018 or if we can even expect to see it launch in 2018. Until then? We have, at the least, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon to keep is busy in the meantime.
Yoshi (Untitled) | Nintendo
You loved Super Mario Odyssey, right? What about Splatoon 2? Great! It seems Nintendo is off to a solid start. They’ve got plenty of third party games on the way, plenty of games for kids, and even plenty of games for adults. They’re making some tracks, but not as many as Yoshi will be making. Our favorite little green goomba-eating reptilian is on its way back and with an entirely new game.
The downside about this Yoshi title? Everything that has to do with knowing exactly what to expect with it. All we know? It does exist, it will be on the Nintendo Switch, and it’s coming sometime in 2018. Besides that, we are in the dark regarding what it is, what it’s about, and what features it will come with.
Fire Emblem (Untitled) | Nintendo
Now we know Fire Emblem Warriors was a well-received game. It was the perfect hybrid of Koei Tecmo’s Warriors Franchise and Fire Emblem games. It brought both features together quite nicely. You got to hack-and-slash, you got to go to the menus and command your units in a Fire Emblem sort of way, you even got to upgrade, edit, and equip the gear you wanted in a Warriors like manner.
Now it’s time to return to the actual Strategy-RPG core series. While we know the game is certainly coming in 2018, we don’t know a lot about it. We don’t know what it will look like, how it will play, or even what the name is. We only know that Nintendo has confirmed the series will continue on in 2018 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus | Machine Games
While this one certainly isn’t a first-party game, nor is it kid friendly. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is a testament to Nintendo’s want/need to expand upon their third-party library. Their biggest contributor just happens to be one of the biggest companies out there: Bethesda Softworks. DOOM (2016) is already on the Nintendo Switch and it’s doing quite well for itself. On Tuesday (Nov. 14th, 2017), Bethesda is set to launch The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the Nintendo Switch.
Luckily for adult gamers, we can now take Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus on the go. The downside about the game? We can only expect that the game is going to cut some corners by downgrading graphics, lowering the frame rates, and even requiring a mandatory install due to its sheer size. Luckily for Nintendo Switch owners, that doesn’t matter, and DOOM is a testament to that. It runs solid, it runs fast, and it’s just as breakneck as it was before, which means Wolfenstein II can do the same in 2018.
Closing Thoughts
2018, without a doubt, will be a great year for Nintendo. They’ve already got some amazing strong titles headed onto their Nintendo Switch next year. Since it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, it’s safe to say that Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony are about to reignite this generation’s console wars, and truly give fans something to discuss. Even if Nintendo remains the silent one, it’s an easy bet to see who’s going the furthest distance, and how they’re going to go about it. My money right now? It’s on Nintendo.
