The Nintendo Switch is likely not the first console people think of when they’re looking for the ideal place to play first-person shooters. While the Switch is perfectly capable of running a plethora of great FPS games, its Joy-Cons, as great as they are, lack the precision needed to deliver a great first-person shooter experience. Naturally, that has meant that most of the best FPS games of the past generation have skipped the console, Call of Duty included, despite Microsoft’s pledge to bring the series to Nintendo’s handheld eventually.
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However, while the Nintendo Switch may not be the most ideal console to play FPS games on, there are still plenty of great games within the genre available on the platform. Sure, their console counterparts and especially PC versions are better. However, if all you have is the Nintendo Switch or you just fancy curling up and playing an extremely gory FPS game in bed, then these games are the perfect option for you.
5. Metro 2033 Redux
One of my all-time favorite novels is Metro 2033, a tense, atmospheric, incredibly intelligent sci-fi adventure about a man’s travels through a post-apocalypse. Dmitry Glukhovsky’s masterpiece was, thankfully, adapted into a somewhat faithful, yet significantly more action-packed video game of the same name, which was later remastered and retitled as Metro 2033 Redux. It retains the trademark nailbiting horror and atmosphere of the novel, as well as some of its philosophical ruminations, while pumping it full of survival horror gameplay mechanics, incredible first-person gunplay, and a smattering of gorgeously designed locations.
Fortunately, Metro 2033 Redux and its sequel, Last Light Redux, were ported to the Nintendo Switch. The ports are pretty flawless and deliver the same great scares and mounting sense of dread as its PC and console counterparts. Much like Alien: Isolation (another great Switch first-person shooter), Metro 2033 Redux works surprisingly well on Nintendo’s handheld due to its slower-paced nature and focus on survival horror. You won’t need perfect precision to take down its plethora of foes, so the slower Joy-Cons work perfectly. Metro 2033 is legitimately one of the greatest overlooked FPS titles of the past two decades, and while it is often overshadowed by Metro: Exodus, it is nevertheless worth playing, especially for horror and FPS enthusiasts.
4. Crysis Remastered Trilogy
Technically, the Crysis Remastered Trilogy is three games, and therefore, I’m cheating a little. These games can be bought individually or as a complete collection, and they all offer something a little different, so it felt prudent to include them together rather than picking just one entry. The first game in the series, while not quite as beloved, does offer some pretty stunning scenery as well as a fairly compelling Far Cry-esque open-world sandbox to wreak havoc in. The latter two games are easily some of the greatest single-player FPS campaigns ever made, and their stunning visuals have been perfectly retained for the Switch version.
This is the series that once served as the benchmark for visual fidelity on PC; so, to see them running so perfectly on Nintendo’s plucky little handheld is rather incredible. Having played and enjoyed all three, I can confidently state that if you’re looking for short, but spectacular FPS games full of great set pieces, over-the-top storylines full of sci-fi jargon, and some staggeringly beautiful environments, the Crysis Remastered Trilogy is the ultimate experience. They don’t make games quite like these anymore, which is a legitimate shame, as they’re perfect both generally and for Nintendo’s handheld.
3. Borderlands Legendary Collection
Once again, I’m cheating a little by including the Borderlands Legendary Collection rather than just a single entry, but as they’re all largely the same, it felt wrong not to pick them all. Sure, Borderlands 2 is the greatest in the collection, but they all have their merits and largely deliver the same zany, looter shooter experience that we’ve come to know and love. Borderlands as a series has been fairly consistent, its gunplay and constant stream of delightfully colorful loot proving to be the best-in-class and often genre-defining.
That hasn’t changed with the Nintendo Switch ports, which deliver its legendarily engrossing gameplay loops with aplomb. If you’ve somehow missed out on the Borderlands series, then this is a fairly essential experience. While Borderlands 3 and 4 are both good in their own right, the series really peaked with the earlier entries, Borderlands 2 specifically. Alongside the Bioshock trilogy (once again, more great first-person shooters on the Switch), the Borderlands Legendary Collection is a collection that any self-respecting FPS fan should own on the Switch.
2. DOOM (2016)
DOOM (2016) was one of the earlier Nintendo Switch miracle ports that went on to define the console. It felt impossible to get the then state-of-the-art visuals on Nintendo’s handy handheld, but somehow Panic Button pulled it off. It clearly doesn’t look as good as its console and PC counterparts, but as it is such a frenetic and fast-paced experience, you don’t really notice. Additionally, considering DOOM doesn’t really require much precision but rather constant movement and blasting easily dispatched foes, it works perfectly, even despite the Switch’s obvious limitations.
DOOM (2016) is a legendarily good first-person shooter, one that somehow perfectly toed the line between old school boomer shooters and modern FPS conveniences. It has, naturally, evolved and been updated since with its more divisive sequels (of which Eternal is also available on Switch), and these are great in their own right. However, if you want that classic DOOM feel with flashier visuals, more robust level design, and a greater arsenal of deadly weapons, then the 2016 masterpiece is well worth picking up on the Nintendo Switch.
1. Metroid Prime Remastered
Nintendo isn’t really known for its first-person shooters, so one may be surprised to see that the very best FPS game on the original Nintendo Switch is a first-party title. Metroid Prime Remastered, which is a phenomenal update of the 2002 GameCube classic, is masterclass in environment, puzzle, gunplay, and visual design, offering up one of the greatest first-person shooters ever made. This is an astonishingly beautiful game with excellent enemy, region, and puzzle variety that keeps the relatively lengthy experience feeling fresh throughout.
Metroid Prime is pretty beloved, but I feel it gets overlooked when listing off some of gaming’s best FPS titles. It is a shame too, as while its more arcadey approach to gunplay doesn’t make it as complex as say Call of Duty, it nevertheless delivers a highly atmospheric, thrilling, and action-packed FPS campaign that is far superior to the majority of the competition. Metroid Prime Remastered is easily one of the best Nintendo Switch games in general, alongside being its most enjoyable FPS game, and a must-play for anyone even remotely interested in the genre.
Which Nintendo Switch FPS game will you be trying? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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