Editor's dream announcements for Switch 2

Martin Carlsson:
Star Fox: The Lylat Wars
Star Fox - Starwing, Star Fox 64 - Lylat Wars. There are many names for a dear child. The official sequel to the Super Nintendo game here in Europe was released under the name Lylat Wars for the Nintendo 64 and I am eagerly awaiting a new game that honours the origins and the feel of the game. To bring the game series up to date with a bang, I therefore pray to higher powers for a reboot, with a more adult and mature tone, away with the slightly garish Disney palette and running a visual profile reminiscent of the Ace Combat of recent years. The brand has undergone a few twists and turns over the years but never really been taken seriously - I just wonder why? Platinum Games turned Raiden into a force to be reckoned with in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, but they couldn't quite get Fox McCloud to take off with his Arwing in Star Fox Zero on Wii U almost ten years ago.

But maybe it was the console format that was at fault? Or the fact that Nintendo didn't make the game themselves with the same love, warmth and budget as many of their other major brands? The genre has always been a favourite. It's arcade, it's precision and it's action. It's an approach that works in both short and long sessions, which should lend itself perfectly to either docked or portable play on Switch 2, with alternate paths through the levels and inter-dimensional galaxies to discover - just like the old days, but with extra everything and a sense of legacy. I want to see bonus missions that make the most of the new console's capabilities, with the Joycon as a mouse I can see the game from a first-person and cockpit view with extended immersion.

Fox McCloud, Falco, Slippy and Peppy will of course do barrel-rolls in the future in silky smooth imagery and I want to be bombarded by the feel of the past in a modern guise and enemies hurled at me with an actual script - give the characters more life than has been done so far, I want to care about the squadron of rowing mates. Maximise the production values and expand. Make the antagonist Andross an icon that makes Darth Vader sweat - make the mercenary group Star Wolf a rival gang with backstories I care about in tight dogfights. Why can't Nintendo take the game series seriously, it was brilliant on Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 in all its simplicity, but why don't they try harder here when all the conditions are there? Give me a reboot and let Nintendo's first-party developers be responsible for the implementation, preferably with Shigeru Miyamoto at the helm.

Joel Pettersson:
Super Mario 64: Remade and Reloaded
It doesn't have to be called that, of course. But I would like a new version of the epic that is Super Mario 64. I want to experience the same things I did when I was a little boy, but in new silky high-resolution graphics and with well-oiled machinery in the form of as smooth and fantastic game mechanics as, for example, Super Mario Odyssey and Astro Bot offered. Throw in some new content - new worlds, new enemies, guest appearances and a bunch of cosy mini-games and we're guaranteed a fantastic game to enjoy on Switch 2.

Nintendo doesn't need to innovate all the time. I think they can look in the rear-view mirror here and let Super Mario go back to familiar worlds and chill out a bit. Let it be a tribute to Super Mario in general by incorporating elements of Sunshine, Odyssey, Wonder, and maybe even Super Mario Kart or Super Mario Strikers - but let it be a tribute to Super Mario 64 in particular. This project is about as unlikely as it gets, but if I were sitting in Kyoto as a boss, I'd throw it on the table (the idea, that is) and start working on Super Mario 64: Bigger, Better and Boosted right away.

Petter Hegevall:
Wave Race
Blue Storm was never very good if the original for Game Boy (1992) I guess I wasn't a big fan of, either. It is for me solely / exclusively Wave Race 64 that makes this game series what it is and it is also that game that makes me dream of a Switch 2 racer on the same theme, with the same playful, colourful arcade feel and realistic, demanding water physics. Because what Nintendo achieved with the driving feel of the N64 game was and remains an amazing feat, and with today's technology, a comeback could be just about as memorable as it gets. I want rolling waves, super smooth water, flips and tricks and different environments that feel like the N64 game but are not outright remakes.

Henric Pettersson:
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker 2
Perhaps the best game I remember from the era of the Nintendo Gamecube is Link's adventure at sea with its exquisite design and graphics. Now I want to go back to that time in the form of a sequel. Imagine an even bigger game world with worse natural disasters at sea, more advanced sea battles and why not challenges underwater? I get all tingly in my stomach just thinking about it and really wish Nintendo would realise my dreams. Toon Link deserves a return, and what better way to welcome him than a sequel to Wind Waker?

Patrik Severin:
F-Zero
We know there will be a new Metroid Prime and probably a new Super Smash Bros. However, it is unlikely that we will see a lavish F-Zero again. Unlike Petter, who is looking for a new Wave Race, I would like to see a high-budget production of F-Zero, with both darkness and a fantastic selection of music with a focus on metal. The music may also offer some nice remasters of Mute City and other classics. The characters and design could draw inspiration from some of the darker comic books we used to read in the 1980s. I would like them to take place on intense varied and dynamically changing levels in different environments, with a focus on extremely high speeds. Nintendo can use the knowledge they gained from other racing games like Mario Kart and others.

I want a single-player or multi-player tournament mode, lots of opportunities to customise your super-fast vehicle, and tuning options for all forms of competition.The tournament mode should offer storytelling based on your chosen character. The alternative, of course, is a campaign that focuses solely on Captain Falcon. A multiplayer mode is a given, and potentially the ability to team up with a friend on the same console. Regardless of how Nintendo tackles that bit, I'm keen for a return of the series in new graphics and with great racing. Competitors should come with high stakes and risks for you as a player. It should be challenging and preferably a little unforgiving, just like previous titles in the series could be. They can take some inspiration from Burnout and really show us crashed vehicles and the possibilities of pushing each other off the track. One of my dream games for Switch 2 would be a new F-Zero, and I don't think I'm alone in that.

Johan Vahlström:
Golden Sun 4
One of my favourite games for the Game Boy Advance was Golden Sun and its sequel Golden Sun: The Lost Age. It was a role-playing game from Japanese Camelot Software Planning, otherwise known for creating Mario's sports games. And it's probably the latter that makes the Golden Sun series now seem dead. The third and final game in the Golden Sun: Dark Dawn series was released in 2010 for the Nintendo DS. Since then it has been quiet. The series was very creative with its puzzles requiring the use of magic, different monster catching where 28 different djinns were hidden around the game world. This series, and especially the first game, is one of the most underrated role-playing games ever and it deserves a sequel. And what better place than for the upcoming Switch 2?

Conny Andersson:
Donkey Kong World
I love open worlds. So, unleash the jungle ape on a vast adventure in a gigantic world. Fill every corner with exciting things to do. Climb and swing on vines, visit mines to ride carriages along railways, get help from Rambi to get around on land and Enguarde the swordfish to transport you underwater. The big world will offer distinctive environments to explore - and let's meet Cranky, Funky, Candy and all the other characters. There really is so much potential here to make a giant jam-packed adventure where we have to collect keys or enough bananas to enter King K. Rool's kingdom and defeat him. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

Alexander Lindberg:
Banjo-Kazooie
A long shot of course but a dream is a dream and something I would have loved to see on Switch 2 would have been a highly anticipated new game in the Banjo-Kazooie series. We sadly never owned a Nintendo 64 when I was a kid but I remember when my family visited our cousins in the early 2000s I took many chances to spend more hours and adventures with the bear and bird. Banjo-Kazooie is a true classic of a series that has been around since 1998 but sadly it died a decade later when Nuts & Bolts was released. It's high time to give the series another chance and even though Microsoft of course owns Rare now, that shouldn't necessarily stop anything. With their new strategy of releasing games on competitor platforms, a new Banjo-Kazooie game can be released on day one on Switch 2, Xbox and PC and be a long-awaited return of the series to Nintendo where Banjo was once born.

Jonas Mäki:
Animal Crossing Next
It's been five years since Animal Crossing: New Horizons took the world by storm during the then ongoing pandemic. While the game is still popular, it's been years since I pulled the plug and felt I was done with it (with Dondoko Island in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth acting as a substitute). With Switch 2 around the corner, it would be a dream come true to see a new, even more ambitious instalment in the series - a title that really maximises the potential of the new hardware. I imagine a world where the village is bigger than ever, where I'm given free rein to build up entire landscapes. It's also time for a major graphical update with dynamic seasons with real weather effects, not least around snow on the ground, autumn leaves blowing in the wind and spring rain leaving small puddles behind. And why not a more vibrant village where the inhabitants actually have routines, get jobs and develop as people over time instead of just moving when you get to know them? The multiplayer should also get a boost. Maybe be able to create areas or neighbourhoods with friends to create something convivial together? And with better online for Switch 2, we could have bigger events, dynamic festivals and maybe even joint projects between several villages. Now it's time for Nintendo to freshen up the concept properly and create something that will last a generation. That would be my absolute dream game.

Niclas Wallin:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake
I'll be completely honest here and say that I haven't played on many of Nintendo's consoles in my life and I don't know yet if I'll get the Switch 2. But if Nintendo were to come up with a proper remake of Ocarina of Time, the likelihood of it happening increases significantly, I can promise you that much. I haven't managed to play the original, partly because of the water temple and partly because I never got along with the Nintendo 64 controller. But the mere thought of an Ocarina of Time with graphics that utilise the hardware of the Switch 2 to the max and with a decent controller makes me salivate very strongly. The time has come for this Nintendo, make it happen and I'll buy a Switch 2 right on release day, that's a promise. Then I'll also make sure to finish playing one of the best games of all time.

Olof Westerberg:
Diddy Kong Racing 2
None of the (little) we've seen of 'Mario Kart 9' so far bears witness to a reuse of the previous iteration's verticality and hang gliders, on the contrary, the Wild West-esque track from the unveiling trailer looked delightfully retro-flat. This made me immediately hope that Nintendo finally considers it time for a sequel to the colourful speed adventure starring Diddy Kong from 1997 - and wants to separate the two series. I'm looking forward to multiplayer party racing, on tracks with countless paths - both horizontal and vertical - and countless vehicle types in a much more experimental experience than we're normally used to with the Mario Kart series. Of course, I also want to see a massive solo adventure with customised mini-games and challenges, an open world to explore and secrets to find, a cosy nonsense story and a soundtrack by Grant Kirkhope and David Wise - the composers who gave us some of the gaming world's most unique scores with the Donkey Kong Country games, Banjo & Kazooie, Goldeneye and (of course) Diddy Kong Racing. Now it's time Nintendo, blow us off our seats on the 2nd of April.

André Lamartine:
Super Mario Odyssey 2
I might be a little boring here, but Mario's Odyssey has been the Switch's biggest highlight for me, and of course I want a sequel that takes the hat mechanics to the next level. While it's obviously hard to beat Galaxy's grand scale, there's plenty of the same potential in another Odyssey, which just expands on the cosy tourism theme from the original. After a T-Rex, I want to be... a seagull! A comet!' Or a moon! Why not? I loved the setting of Odyssey and its offbeat humour, something I'd like to see a lot more of than, say, a new 3D title, and any sequel could continue to visit new worlds and planets. Luigi's balloon challenges have been fun, but now that all the moons have been collected, I'm ready for another brand new Odyssey challenge.

What is your dream release for the Nintendo Switch 2?