Nintendo Switch Sports: Other games we want to see

The sports party game you control with your actions, Nintendo Switch Sports, has made its way to the latest Nintendo console, much to the joy of Wii Sports fans. On release, it had six fun sports to choose from: soccer, badminton, volleyball, bowling, chambara, and tennis, but there has been an announcement of at least one more sport to arrive with golf! Knowing that there's room for more, these are the other sports that we think would be enjoyable to add to the roster, or even just as a humorous spectacle.

Dodgeball

Who doesn't love a good game of throwing things at each other? No, not the Joy-Cons! Just some virtual dodgeballs. This is one of two sports that @OatmealDome on Twitter has found some text references to within the game, meaning this may have a shot at becoming reality for Nintendo Switch Sports players. I imagine this would play very similarly to what you will see listed in our review as one of our favorite sports currently in the game, volleyball. In volleyball, players move their hands in different ways to bump, set, spike, and more while holding the Joy-Con. It would make sense that you would have different ways and directions you could throw the dodgeball in a similar fashion.

Basketball

This is another sport that had some text hints of things to come. Nintendo has already played with the idea of team sports and games that involve running in Nintendo Switch Sports so it wouldn't be too far off to believe that this could be a very real addition as well. In the current soccer portion of the game, players use two Joy-Cons to run and kick, which could be translated to a run and throw method for this sport as well.

Disc Golf

In case there isn't enough chance of throwing your Joy-Con through your TV, we could add the popular disc golf sport to the mix. Watch as your competitors try to fight the urge to release the disc on the throw and hope that you've done a good job of clearing the area! If the developers can manage these types of motions in bowling, disc golf should be just as easy. All jokes aside, adding disc golf would be a really cool way to have a video game that immerses you in the experience with the motion controls without having to have a VR headset.

Archery

As the game stands right now, Nintendo Switch Sports is largely for entertainment as opposed to being an actual workout game. Comparatively, in our Ring Fit Adventure review we talked about how great of a workout you can actually get through the gameplay. Adding some aspects of that to another Nintendo-created game by allowing the cross-compatibility of the ring accessory into Nintendo Switch Sports for archery would be an amazing arm workout. Plus, it would add an interesting concept to a game that would be new to the Nintendo sports arena. The ring could make archery in Nintendo Switch sports function like Bow Pull in Ring Fit Adventure and would give you the actual feel of the tension of a real bow.

Without the ring, the aim of your shot could work similarly to chambara. The Joy-Cons could be aimed at a specific spot on your TV to center your location, then you could move the controller up, down, and side to side, with the final release being a push of a button. This doesn't sound as exciting but it would at least add some dimension to the available sports on the game without an additional accessory.

Football

Of course we have to mention American football! This one may be a little more complex with all the different positions to play in football combined with the motion controls. Switching from player to player without triggering an accidental motion command could prove difficult. But, this could still be a fun addition if you take out a few complexities.

This game could work by having you choose to focus on a quarterback or receiver on offense and/or a linebacker on defense. As a quarterback, you could choose your receiver with your joystick and throw with a motion, while the receiver could put their arms up at the right moment to catch the ball and run like they would in the current soccer game. There could also be a kicker mode that utilizes the leg strap that comes with the physical version of the game and is only used for soccer at the moment.

Track

Speaking of the leg strap, what better way to get your legs involved than to race them around a track? A basic race could be as simple as placing the strap on your leg and doing a quick tiptoe run to make your Mii go; with the fastest feet stealing the win. For humor, just add hurdles! Players must jump or swing their legs around to make their Mii jump the hurdle. Just imagine what your living room would look like with everyone trying to jump imaginary hurdles. Would definitely be the game of choice for families looking for a laugh.

Watch for redundancy

There are definite elements of similarity in some of the existing functions of the sports already available compared to the sports that could be. But if Nintendo does add new games I hope they won't feel too similar, like the current badminton and tennis. If done right, these sports could be very exciting and add an element of freshness that will be needed to keep up the excitement for Nintendo Switch Sports. It will also serve as a hilarious way to spend a friend or family game night. Just be safe with those Joy-Cons and don't break things while you play!