The Nintendo Switch has established itself as a beloved gaming platform over the past six years, offering a diverse library of games with unique gameplay experiences. While many of these titles provide hours of entertainment right out of the box, there are several games that leave players longing for more. They have the potential to be elevated to new heights through the addition of DLC. This would offer expanded content, fresh challenges, and enhanced replay value. Here are 10 games just begging for DLC to further immerse players in their worlds and keep the adventure going.
Mario Party Superstars
Mario Party Superstars, released in 2021, offers a collection of classic Mario Party boards and minigames from previous entries in the series. This provides players with a nostalgic experience with updated graphics and gameplay.
It’s a great party game and entry in the Mario Party series, but it’s shallow in content overall. There are only five classic game boards to play on. This is on the low end for number of boards in the series. There is a lot to be desired since the gameplay can become repetitive with so few boards.
Since Mario Party Superstars features content from previous titles, there is a huge opportunity for Nintendo to release DLC. There are 16 previous titles to draw ideas from. We’d love to see DLC and expansion packs with content from older games in the franchise.
Nintendo Switch Sports
The latest game in the Wii Sports series is Nintendo Switch Sports, released in 2022. There are just seven sports included in the game (soccer, volleyball, tennis, blowing, badminton, chambara, and golf). To compare, Wii Sports Resort in 2009 had 15 games to choose from.
While the base game of Nintendo Switch Sports provides a solid foundation, it would greatly benefit from DLC to enhance its longevity and appeal. DLC packs could introduce new sports from previous entries, such as basketball, cycling, and archery. This would expand the game’s variety and cater to a wider range of interests.
Additionally, DLC could introduce new gameplay modes, such as a career mode or online tournaments, injecting fresh challenges and competitive opportunities into the game. With the introduction of DLC, Nintendo Switch Sports would not only provide an initial enjoyable experience but also continue to evolve and offer fresh content.
Mario Strikers: Battle League
Mario Strikers: Battle League is an action-packed soccer game that revived the franchise after 15 years without a new title. It features Mario characters competing in matches using zany powerups and special moves.
It was appreciated that Nintendo brought back the Strikers franchise after it had been dormant for so long, but this new experience was underwhelming. There have been a few post-launch updates that added some characters and stadiums, but it hasn’t been enough to keep players coming back for long.
The best possible expansion would be a story mode, like the Road to the Strikers Cup in the second game. It would be great to customize a team and play tournaments throughout a season. Also, the stadiums in the game are purely aesthetic, and it would be great if there were environmental elements to make them actually affect matches.
To get players back into the game, Mario Strikers: Battle League should receive bulkier updates or expansions that add sizable content than just players and aesthetics.
Mario Golf: Super Rush
Mario Golf: Super Rush was released in 2021 and is the sixth game in the series. Like the other Mario sports games on the Switch, the base content is lacking for a modern title. The previous Mario Golf game, World Tour on the 3DS, received DLC, so Super Rush would benefit from it as well.
Super Rush’s predecessors had tournament modes, which Super Rush lacks. This would be a great option for an expansion in order to get people back into the game to play with friends or others online. The previous title also had an array of challenges, such as time attack, score attack, ring master, and more. If Super Rush added similar challenge modes, there would be a much greater variety of gameplay than just standard golf and speed golf.
At the very least, it would be great if Mario Golf: Super Rush could add a greater selection of characters, courses, and collectibles. This would appeal to more players and give them reason to jump back in to try something new.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is one of Nintendo’s latest first-party games and is the long-awaited sequel to Breath of the Wild. While it is filled to the brim with things to do, many fans are hoping for DLC that expands the game the same way Breath of the Wild’s DLC did.
Breath of the Wild’s expansion was in the form of two packs. The first, called the Master Trials, added the Trial of the Swords challenge, a hard mode, and hero’s path mode. The second, called the Champions’ Ballad, added to the game’s story as well as of an additional dungeon and shrines.
Tears of the Kingdom should get similar treatment with a new expansion. There are many angles an extra story could take; particularly, we’d love to see more of Zelda’s perspective through the events of the game besides what we saw in the dragon tear memories. Also, it would be great to have an extra dungeon to explore since the ones in the base game were so much fun.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby made his 3D platforming debut last year in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. This new entry in the franchise was a huge step for our beloved pink friend, introducing new modes, power-ups, enemies, and a fun co-op experience.
Overall, it’s a fantastic game, and we want HAL and Nintendo to give us more. It might be some time before the next 3D platforming Kirby game comes around, so adding content to Kirby and the Forgotten Land can help extend the life of this adventure.
The best possible expansion would be to add an additional world for us to explore. Each of the worlds in Kirby and the Forgotten Land are creative and exciting, and adding even just one more would be reason enough to jump back into the game to find more Waddle Dees. It could also be an excuse to add some more power-ups to play around with as well.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Pokemon Legends: Arceus took so many steps in the right direction for the Pokemon franchise. Players could explore the ancient region of Hisui (which would later become the Sinnoh region) in an open world style of gameplay for the first time ever. The story beats and catching mechanics were positive changes that shook up the series in a fresh way.
There are things that could be added to make the game worth returning to even after completing it. Hisui was broken up into smaller areas that had unique environments and Pokemon. DLC could add additional areas with brand new terrains to explore and Pokemon to catch.
Also, Pokemon Legends: Arceus lacked the multiplayer capabilities that other games in the franchise are known for. When connecting online, the only thing that can be done is trade Pokemon with other players. There is no battling or multiplayer exploration.
We’d love it if Pokemon Legends: Arceus were updated to include the same online multiplayer capabilities that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have. It would be a lot of fun to run around with friends in Hisui catching Pokemon together and challenging each other to battles.
New Pokemon Snap
New Pokemon Snap is the first sequel to the original game from 1999. It’s a fun game for a wide range of Pokemon fans, from those who are serious about completing a Pokedex to those who just want a casual stroll observing how different creatures interact in their environments.
The game did get a free update a few months after its release. It added quality of life improvements as well as three new courses and 20 additional Pokemon species. This was a very welcome addition, but there is room for so much more.
Pokemon Snap isn’t like other franchises that periodically get new games every few years. Fans waited 22 years for a second game, so it’s unlikely there will be another new entry anytime soon. That’s why additional DLC should be added to extend the life of this title for as long as possible.
The template for new content has already been set. There are tons of possibilities for new course ideas, and as of the 2.0 update there are just 234 Pokemon available to snap a photo of in the game. The franchise now has over 1,000 Pokemon species, so there are clearly many more able to be added to Snap.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is a tactical turn-based strategy game that combines the original Advance Wars and Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising titles into a single package. There are a ton of missions to master, and while the base game is great, there are a few obvious ideas for potential DLC.
First, the game could use an update full of quality of life improvements. There is no touch screen support in the game despite the fact that the Switch is touch screen compatible and that the Advance Wars games on DS utilized it. It would go a long way to add touch support. Also, the online experience is shallow. There is no way to challenge friends asynchronously, meaning players must stay connected for the entire battle duration (which could be hours for experienced players).
Additionally, DLC in the form of extra story missions would be most welcome. These are remakes, so of course the story missions might be a bit limited to stay true to the original games’ experiences, but it would give players more to do.
Maybe it would be a lot to ask for, but we wouldn’t complain if they expanded the game to include the third Advance Wars game, Dual Strike, for an extra DLC price.
Super Mario Maker 2
Super Mario Maker 2 is the game on the Switch that is arguably the most deserving of additional content in the form of DLC. It’s a great follow-up to the original Super Mario Maker on the Wii U. However, there are several glaring omissions that fans want to return.
Specifically, it was a huge missed opportunity for Nintendo to not include the amiibo costumes in Super Mario Maker 2. In the original game, players could scan an amiibo to unlock one of 153 Nintendo character costumes. Many of them could also be unlocked through gameplay without the use of amiibo.
These costumes allowed for so much extra creativity when designing courses, and it’s puzzling why this feature did not return. It would be great to see it come back through DLC.
Additionally, there are 5 game styles that courses can be designed using: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros. U, and Super Mario 3D World. The best DLC for the game would to be expand the number of game styles available.
We’d love to see a new style added to the game, such as Super Mario Bros. 2. Even better would be if Nintendo added the ability to design courses in the style of the new upcoming Mario game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
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