Nintendo Switch: 10 Third-Party Franchises We Need To See

8. Monster Hunter

Monster Hunter
Capcom

Monster Hunter Generations released on 3DS just last November, but we haven't embarked on console-grade monster hunts since Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on Wii U in 2013. And as fun as the portable installments are, Monster Hunter games always benefit in scale, scope and smoothness when built for living room play.

The 3DS installments have continued to refine the formula, but historically, Monster Hunter's console releases are where we see the major leaps forward. More intuitive progression and crafting is great, but like all series with comically large numbers tacked onto their titles, Monster Hunter needs a healthy shot of innovation every now and then, lest it peter out. It's like that old TV you can't bear to part with; keeping the dust off is fine and well, but sometimes you just have to hit it to get it to work.

Besides, the Switch is practically tailor-made for games like Monster Hunter. Nintendo is one of the few big studios who will still give local multiplayer the time of day, and the portability of the Switch would make for some great LAN monster hunting. It also sports a markedly more responsive touch screen than the Wii U's gamepad, which should make the series' inevitably heady inventory management more, er, manageable.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games? Well that doesn't sound anything like me.