Published , by Shack Staff
Published , by Shack Staff
There was a lot of excitement in the air when Nintendo Switch Sports was first announced. Now it's here, but while it's certainly a fun package, we can't help but feel like maybe there are a few games that are missing. We know that Nintendo has already confirmed that Golf is coming soon, but what else could make this offering feel a little more complete? To answer that, the Shacknews staff has assembled to contribute our ideas for what we feel should be included in Nintendo Switch Sports in the future.
Sports are as much about coordination than they are about physical prowess. With that said, archery continues to be one of the hottest sports out there. On top of being a fun Olympic sport to watch, who in gaming doesn't own a bow and arrow these days? Remember when that was the big trend for a hot second?
The Joy-Con motion controls are one of Nintendo Switch Sports' biggest highlights. It should be fairly easy to make a competent archery experience. If nothing else, it should bring back memories of Link's Crossbow Training.
I imagine that Nintendo chose to not include Baseball in its spiritual successor to Wii Sports, likely due to the amount of people that accidentally chucked their remotes straight into their TVs while trying to swing a virtual bat, but it was one of my favorite Wii Sports titles and deserves some love here. While I’m not ready to say that we as a society have gotten smarter and are beyond such a risk, I do believe that we should just let natural selection run its course.
You wouldn’t even have to do all that much to revitalize baseball for Switch Sports. Give me some new sound effects, music, and maybe toss some fun Nintendo characters/branding into the mix.
I'm not sure if the whole murdering ducks aspect of Duck Hunt would fly, if you’ll pardon the pun, in modern times. But this NES classic hasn’t seen much action since its launch despite being one of the more iconic and recognizable titles from the Big N’s 8-bit glory days. A Nintendo Switch Sports title seems like the opportune time to breathe new life into Duck Hunt. Perhaps having to shoot robot ducks or just sticking to clay pigeons would be the way to go. Either way, using a Joy-Con as your rifle seems like a no-brainer interface as well, and hopefully you could pet the doggo this time around too.
Noodling - Chris Jarrard, Will stick stuff in holes, sight unseen
If Nintendo really believed all the hype they tried spitting out at the Switch launch about how advanced the Joy-Cons are, they would put their money where their mouth is and make the ultimate software for advanced haptic feedback. Noodling is an old southern tradition that sees folks attempt to pull catfish out of its hole with their bare hands. Simply find a nice river or other body of water, hang near the shore while feeling around for underwater holes, then reach in said hole and pull out your prize. Easy enough, eh?
Nintnedo Switch Sports Championship Noodling is a no-brainer. Players must use incredibly advanced haptic feedback to tell the difference between a catfish about to permanently remove your finger or if some creepy scuba diver is trying to suck on your digits. It’s mildly offensive that this concept wasn’t in the shipping version of the game.
My favorite part about the Winter Olympics every four years is watching Americans freak out about how cool curling is for a couple of weeks. You get to scream “HURRY” and “HARD” as you slide along the ice tossing your rocks at your opponent’s rocks. Curling is one of the most fun sports you’ll ever play, and it should absolutely be added to the Nintendo Switch Sports lineup.
The intensity, the pageantry... the frantic sweeping with the tiny stick... Curling has it all. It’s everyone’s favorite version of professional shuffleboard and for good reason. Curling is as cool as it is funny and there are all sorts of fun motion controls that could go with it. Sure you’ve got to throw your stone down the ice with some level of accuracy, but you’ve also got to frantically sweep the ice to make sure your stone lands where it’s supposed to go. This might end up being the sweatiest Nintendo Switch Sports event yet, but for those who want to achieve a W, the effort will be worth it. And everyone else will have a good laugh watching it happen.
Boxing was one of the Wii Sports' best games, aside from bowling. I even played with my Dad who hates video games.
Everyone grab a Joy-Con and just start throwing punches!
What sport would I like to see added to Nintendo Switch Sports? There are two that I would love to see added to this game collection. The first one I have been asking for quite some time for is Hockey. It could play similarly to the Soccer game they have where you will control the players on the field. Hockey never gets any love in these collections and the only time I remember there being motion control Hockey was on the Wii in NHL2K. It would be cool to see motion control passing/shooting and if I, as someone who hates motion control, thinks that it could work, then it should be done right away.
The other game I would love to see is Football or something like 7-on-7 backyard Football. You could throw with Joy-Cons or throw your hands up on defense to intercept the ball. I would love a Hockey game but I could settle for Football as well.
I want to dunk on somebody with my Mii. Also if there’s soccer, there’s certainly the capability to pull off a 3v3 street court mode. Add some crossover moves that will really get those hands moving and a shooting mechanic that requires some finesse with the movement of the Joy-Cons and different levels of button sensitivity depending on how far away from the basket you are shooting from. I wanna be able to leap and swat at layups and swing my arm across my body quickly to attempt to steal the ball. It will take some work but I definitely think it’s possible to make a Basketball mode fun and engaging.
I think it’d be fun to be able to play pool in Nintendo Switch Sports. With the motion controls of the Joy-Cons, there’s a nice level of immersion to be had when doing things like lining up a shot in the game. It wouldn’t be too difficult to properly incorporate those motion controls either as billiards isn’t a fast-paced sport like tennis, but one that’s slower and requires equal amounts of patience and careful planning.
Pool is also a game that I’d consider approachable for gamers of all ages given how it’s pretty straightforward when it comes to the rules and how to play. I’d also say that pool, while slow, is far from boring. And if you wanted to add some extra spice, I’m sure there’d be plenty of ways to incorporate Nintendo-themed challenge boards in addition to a standard billiards table. A Mario one would be pretty rad.
Those are our picks for what should make the Nintendo Switch Sports cut in the future. If you want to read more about the game, you can read up on our Nintendo Switch Sports review. Also, join the conversation and let us know what you'd like to see in Nintendo Switch Sports in the future.