The Nintendo Switch has been an absolute hit this console generation, outselling its predecessor several times over. The console-handheld hybrid has been performing so well, in fact, it’s gotten the best 3rd party support Nintendo has seen in decades. Although not nearly as powerful as its direct competitors, the Switch is becoming home to a number of hefty ports that fully take advantage of the hardware.
Porting games to consoles isn’t nearly as simple as it sounds, and that’s evident with the poor performance of some titles released on Nintendo Switch. Obsidian’s recent The Outer Worlds shows that while the console can run current-gen open-world games, it doesn’t necessarily mean it should. Lower resolution and framerate are expected on the Switch, but there’s a level of compromise that needs to be made.
Titles like Alien: Isolation and Crysis Remastered, however, show that there are several possibilities for older games to shine on Nintendo’s console, while developers like Panic Button squeeze out every ounce of power on the Switch to make Doom and Wolfenstein run as smoothly as possible. Here are a few of the best ports on Nintendo Switch.
Alien Isolation
2014’s Alien: Isolation is by far the best in the history of Alien games, and the 2019 Switch port is actually the best looking version of the game. Digital Foundry compared the port to both the PS3 and PS4 versions of the game and found that the Switch port actually had a higher image quality than the PS4 version in docked mode. The framerate is generally stable throughout, but most importantly the game is a joy to play through. Alien: Isolation is the only game in the franchise that really nails the atmosphere and feel of the original movie, and should be presented on a pedestal right next to the classic Alien.
The Witcher 3
How Saber Interactive managed to fit all of The Witcher 3 on a single 32 GB cartridge can only be explained through wizardry. The game does make some compromises, lowering the resolution to 540p in handheld, and 720p in docked, but it still manages to look great. The level of detail in the world and bustling towns is incredibly impressive to see on a seven-inch screen. Performance is relatively similar to that on PS4 and Xbox One, so it won’t feel jarring at all to run through the world of The Witcher 3 on a handheld console.
Crysis Remastered
One of the newest ports to the Switch, Crysis Remastered is easily one of the best-looking games on the console. Although the original title released in 2007, for several years it was lauded as a graphical powerhouse, even becoming an online sensation with the “Can it Run Crysis” memes which are still circulating today. Again, resolution and framerate do take a small hit in busy areas, but the lighting, draw distances, and image quality are absolutely stunning considering the hardware it’s running on.
Borderlands Legendary Collection
While not as graphically impressive as some other recent Switch ports, the incredibly popular Borderlands games run almost as good on the Switch as any other console — minus the 30fps cap. The titles are perfect for quick pick-up and play sessions, with a surprisingly thriving online community.
What elevates the Switch version is the gyroscopic aiming. Nearly every game on the Switch that supports gyro controls immediately becomes more engaging. That includes everything from Splatoon 2 to Doom, and all three Borderlands games are no different. Nearly every player who gets accustomed to gyro aiming would consider it the next best thing to using a keyboard and mouse. Now if only Capcom would remember how great motion-aiming was in Resident Evil 4 for the Wii.
Diablo 3
Diablo 3 had a rough start at launch, but several years down the road it’s lived up to the hype and turned into one of Blizzard’s best titles. Originally a PC-only series, Diablo 3 feels right at home on consoles, and the Nintendo Switch port is no different. Controls are bound excellently for the Joycons, even allowing players to split a pair and play multiplayer with one set. The game runs at a buttery-smooth 60fps, and the online community continues to thrive.
Not every Switch port runs well, with examples like Ark: Survival Evolved being so muddy and choppy, they’re not even worth booting up. Other games like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night had a rough start at launch, but after several months updated the game to bring parity to other consoles. It’s clear that as time goes on, developers are getting able to utilize all the juice in Nintendo’s console, and hopefully, there will be more titles down the road providing that console experience on the go the Nintendo Switch is so famous for.
