Fans aren’t super happy that June’s Nintendo Direct ended up being one dedicated to Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and another Partner Direct for third party games. Despite that, we already know that Nintendo has a pretty expansive line-up ready for 2022, and with these games the second half of the year is look much more appealing.
The June 28 Partner Direct has announced ports and timed exclusives launching this year, and we have all the information you need below.
Nier Automata port coming October 6
Nier Automata is one of the best games of 2017, and it might’ve taken five years, but it’s now one of the best Nintendo Switch games of 2022. Nier Automata‘s action RPG gameplay makes for an engaging experience, and the storyline is quite unlike anything else in video games. Strap in for five playthroughs when this launches on October 6.
Persona 5 Royal port coming October 21
Persona 5 Royal is the expanded version of Persona 5 that fans adore, and it’s finally launching on Nintendo Switch. The original Persona 5 launched back in 2016, and Switch fans have been begging for a port since the console launched. But now Persona 5 Royal is finally going to be available on October 21 and will provide at least 100 hours of gameplay for you to get through. Good luck.
Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable coming soon
100 hours of Persona 5 Royal not enough for you? That’s fine, because there’s easily another 100 potential hours in each of these earlier entries, Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable. P3P‘s inclusion instead of Persona 3 FES is controversial, but it’s good that a version of this game is finally available on Nintendo Switch.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope new trailer, launches October 20
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is coming this October too – which means it’s going to be a very busy month indeed. This improved and expanded sequel to Mario + Rabbids already looks bigger and better than the original, and we only have a few months to wait before we find out what the team has been cooking up for us. A Ubisoft presentation will give us more information on Sparks of Hope on June 29.
Portal: Companion Collection out today
Portal and Portal 2 are genuine masterpieces, so it’s a crime that they haven’t been released on Nintendo Switch before now. Finally, the duo of games is available as of today. Portal is one of the best blends of gameplay and narrative of any game, and Portal 2‘s expanded story and co-op campaign is worth every penny.
Return to Monkey Island new trailer, launches as timed Switch console exclusive
Monkey Island fans have been truly begging for a return to Monkey Island, and that just happens to be exactly what they’re getting. We already saw a bit of Return to Monkey Island in a previous trailer, but now we have confirmation that it is launching this year as a timed exclusive on Nintendo Switch.
MegaMan Battle Network Legacy Collection launches in 2023
The Game Boy Advance MegaMan Battle Network series is beloved by fans, and now all ten (yes, 10!) games are coming to Nintendo Switch in 2023. The collection of ten games does include both versions of games that had Pokémon-style dual releases, so they’re not all as unique as they sound, but these will be a wonderful way to return to the MegaMan world next year.
Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.
