Nintendo Switch Hands-On: 10 Things We Learned
5. Third Party Support Is Strong… For Now
Several third party games were available to try during the event, including Sonic Mania, Disgaea 5 Complete, Just Dance 2017, Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers and Super Bomberman R.
All of these looked great whether on the Switch display or TV screen and were easily playable with all supported controllers. With big franchises such as Just Dance starting out on the Wii, it’s nice to see developers still supporting Nintendo.
Sonic Mania in particular was a highlight, with the demo levels capturing the feel of classic Sonic flawlessly. If you’ve not enjoyed a Sonic the Hedgehog game since you last put down a Mega Drive controller, this is definitely the game for you. Ultra Street Fighter II, another retro-styled title, also looked and played silky smooth on the TV screen.
Other third party games that have been announced include Skyrim, NBA 2K, Minecraft, Yooka-Laylee and Dragon Quest. All undoubtedly big names, and should provide an excellent library for the Switch, but it will be absolutely key for Nintendo to make its new hardware as easy to develop for as possible to retain this level of support.
The last thing they would want is for multi-platform releases to make a habit of having one version for PS4 and Xbox One, with a stripped-down version for Switch. If developers and/or publishers decide it is too much hassle to port a game to the Switch, Nintendo could once again end up relying on its impressive first party titles to support the console.