Nintendo Switch: 4 games that are missing from the launch lineup

There's been quite a lot said about the Nintendo Switch's relatively slender launch line-up. We're always of the opinion that quality is far more important than quantity when it comes to a console launch - and Zelda: Breath of the Wild alone has the Switch covered on that front.

Besides that fact, the Switch line-up isn't actually all that short. It's longer than the day one library for the SNES, N64, and original Game Boy - all of which have gone on to be considered classic consoles.

However, taking a look back at Nintendo's major console and handheld launch line-ups, it seems apparent to us that there are a couple of games and game types missing from the Switch roster.

Some Nintendo fans would question whether a Nintendo console without a Mario platform game at launch is truly a Nintendo console. Yes, yes. We know that Super Mario Odyssey is coming to the Switch in the near future. But 'near future' isn't soon enough.

Take a glance at the launch titles for Nintendo consoles, and they're littered with big Mario platformers. The NES had Mario Bros. (here in Europe at least), the SNES had Super Mario World, the N64 had Super Mario 64, and the Wii U had New Super Mario Bros. U.

Of course, the GameCube and Wii had no Mario platformer at launch. But all of the major Nintendo handhelds bar the 3DS did.

I wouldn't say that there's a trend for tennis games in the launch line-up of Nintendo consoles. But you'd be surprised how many there are.

Both the NES and the Gameboy (in the US) had Tennis, the SNES had Super Tennis, and of course the Wii had Wii Sports bundled in. Everyone knows that tennis was the multiplayer star there. Oh, okay, and bowling. Heck, even the calamitous Virtual Boy had Mario's Tennis.

With the Switch's built-in twin controllers and active angle, a revised take on tennis would have been a natural fit, I feel.

The Switch will break a run of four consecutive Nintendo home consoles, from the N64 to the Wii U, that have launched with a FIFA game.

Even if you roll your eyes at the mere mention of EA's annual footy franchise, it shouldn't be underestimated. This is the biggest sports sim series in the world, and it sells by the bucket-load.

Switch pre-orderers shouldn't be too concerned, as EA has confirmed that it's working on a FIFA game for the console. But the fact that it isn't ready for launch day is mildly frustrating at least.

Indeed, the Switch launch lineup is completely devoid of sports simulation games, which are reliable system staples on both sides of the Atlantic.

This is hardly a massive trend, but the last two Nintendo consoles featured a Call of Duty game in their launch lineups. Just like FIFA, CoD has become a huge console staple with true mass market appeal.

Of course, the CoD series isn't the massive draw it used to be, and the team behind the series can currently be found licking its wounds and planning a way back to the top of the FPS pile. In that sense, it's perhaps no surprise that there's no CoD for Switch - particularly when its chipset is so different to the established PS4 and Xbox One equivalent.

Like the FIFA omission, though, the lack of Call of Duty on the Switch leads to a wider point. There's no first person shooter at all in the Switch launch lineup.