Eight Nintendo Switch games I'm looking forward to playing in 2018

Although I am by no means finished buying or playing 3DS or Vita games, there's little doubt in my mind that most of the money I spend on this hobby in 2018 will be directed toward Switch titles.

The eight Switch games discussed here aren't the only ones I'm looking forward to playing this year, by the way. They're just the ones I'm most itching to experience.

As such, don't be surprised if I eventually publish a follow-up post to this one that details some of the other Switch titles I hope to tackle by the time 2019 rolls around.



Bayonetta 2--I wish I could tell you why I've yet to try the first Bayonetta title. I've had an Xbox 360 for years, after all. The best explanation I can offer up is Microsoft's second console has never quite clicked with me, and as a result I've rarely felt like buying games for it. (The only retail Xbox 360 game I currently own is Deadly Premonition.) Well, I'll soon have my chance to try both the original Bayonetta and its sequel, and you can bet I'm going to take advantage of it. Here's hoping I find the gameplay in these titles as fabulously appealing as their saucy protagonist.



Dark Souls: Remastered--Here's another widely heralded game I've long ignored because of my lack of love for the Xbox 360 (and my lack of a PS3, period). That's not a comment on my interest in the title, though. In fact, I've wanted to see what all the fuss was about since Dark Souls first made a splash in 2011. Thanks to Namco Bandai's decision to bring the recently announced "remastered" version of the game to Switch, I'll be able to do just that this coming spring. What do you think: will I enjoy it, or will it completely overwhelm me?



Dragon Quest Builders 2--I considered writing about the upcoming Switch port of the first Dragon Quest Builders here, but I've chatted about that game (which I pre-ordered as soon as Amazon allowed it) enough on line, so let's talk about its in-the-works sequel. To be honest, I don't know much about it at the moment. As long as Dragon Quest Builders 2 offers up a few new twists on the original's charming, Minecraft-esque gameplay, though, I doubt I'll regret my purchase.



Gal Metal!--What can I say? I tend to like music and rhythm games. I even enjoyed Wii Music, for crying out loud. That lack of taste (some might say, at least) may serve me well after my copy of this curious import arrives on our doorstep in a few weeks. Although there's little question Gal Metal! looks great, there are a lot of questions surrounding its gameplay, which appears eerily similar to the much-maligned Wii game mentioned earlier. Granted, the move-your-Joy-Cons-like-drum-sticks controls at the center of Gal Metal! should be far more accurate than the ones showcased in Wii Music, but that doesn't mean they'll be fun. Oh, well, even if the game disappoints, I'll still have a snazzy piece of cover art to ogle.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to buy the hell out of Gal Metal! for Switch early next year

Early this month, DMM Games revealed it was working on a rhythm game for the Nintendo Switch.

Although its name, Gal Metal!, intrigued me, that's about where my curiosity in the upcoming title began and ended.

That's mainly because the initial Gal Metal! teaser trailer made it out to be a drum-centric rhythm game, which generally isn't my cup of tea.

My interest did a 180 this morning, though, after watching the game's latest trailer, released to coincide with Tokyo Game Show 2017.

Admittedly, I'm still not all that keen on a rhythm game that makes you pretend-play the drums. But I'm willing to overlook that little "issue" because the drum-heavy game plops you into the patent-leather shoes of one member of a five-girl metal band.



The band in question apparently has to use their musical skills to save the world from invading aliens, by the way--which only enhances the game's appeal in my eyes. Other aspects of Gal Metal! I find appealing: its art style and the music showcased in the video above.

Is it possible the game's motion-focused gameplay will be a Wii Music-style dud in the end? Of course. I certainly hope that's not the case, though.

We'll find out one way or the other when Gal Metal! hits the streets--and Switch eShop--of Japan this coming February.

DMM is said to be prepping a boxed version of Gal Metal!, by the way, so look for me to buy that iteration should early previews not label the Tak Fujii-backed title a total stinker. (Fujii is an eccentric ex-Konami producer.)

Has this in-the-works Switch game pinged your radar? If so, let me know, and let me know why it's got you excited, in the comments section below.