Of the three games included in the Switch collection (sadly, WB Games Montreal’s Arkham Origins is overlooked once again), it’s no surprise that Arkham Knight fares the worst. When it first launched on 2015, it was already pushing the limits of the PS4 and Xbox One hardware, so significant compromises were bound to be made to get it running on the significantly weaker hardware of the Nintendo Switch. We have, however, seen in the past how something like The Witcher 3 made the jump over to Nintendo’s platform, and even though it was very clearly a significant step back from a visuals and technical perspective, it was still a perfectly serviceable and surprisingly playable version of the game. Arkham Knight, however, is far less successful in its attempts to make that jump. It is, in fact, an unsalvageable mess.

"Of the three games included in the Switch collection, it’s no surprise that Arkham Knight fares the worst."

The game barely runs. It’s plagued by constant frame rate drops, which range from being consistently annoying to rendering the game downright unplayable. During combat, the performance stutters frequently, which ruins the whole rhythm-esque flow of Arkham Knight’s action, while the frame rate drops are even more prevalent when you’re gliding around in Gotham City, which means two of the game’s best aspects have been heavily compromised. Meanwhile, when you’re in the Batmobile, things are somehow even worse, to the point where the performance issues can be legitimately nauseating. At times, the game can even freeze entirely for several seconds, and though there are times where it does recover to finally start running again, sometimes it just crashes altogether.

Beyond its performance foibles, Arkham Knight takes a massive visual hit on the Switch as well. Draw distances are laughably bad, and distant details of the city’s iconic skyline have been replaced by ugly looking generic blocks, while up close, details in the environments have been replaced by shockingly bland and muddy textures that would have looked out of place even on a PS3 or Xbox 360. Animations are often stiff and jerky, character faces frequently look horrifyingly bad, and all of it comes together to rob Arkham Knight of so much of its very distinct visual identity.

Given the obvious limitations of the Switch hardware, I absolutely wasn’t expecting the game to look anywhere close to as good as it still does on last-gen consoles even now, but even with low expectations, the drastic drop off in quality is astounding, which is exacerbated by the fact that even with all of those many significant compromises, the game still barely manages to function the way it should. That WB Games looked at this port and thought it was in any fit state to be released, let alone be sold for money, is shocking, to say the very least.

"Given the obvious limitations of the Switch hardware, I absolutely wasn’t expecting Arkham Knight to look anywhere close to as good as it still does on last-gen consoles even now, but even with low expectations, the drastic drop off in quality is astounding, which is exacerbated by the fact that even with all of those many significant compromises, the game still barely manages to function the way it should."

It’s particularly disappointing to see because, really, viewed on its own merits, Arkham Knight is a legitimately great game. Sure, it is probably the weakest entry in Rocksteady’s trilogy, but with its stellar combat, stealth, and traversal mechanics (among other things), it has more than enough going for it to overcome its weaknesses in areas like its narrative stumbles and its overreliance on the Batmobile. None of those strengths are able to shine through on the Switch, however, because that’s just how disastrous of a port this is. Sadly, Arkham Knight is no stranger to being let down by technical problems, and just as it infamously did on PC back when it first launched, it has buckled under those issues yet again.

Thankfully, Arkham Asylum and City fare much better, which was to be expected, seeing as both of them were made for the Xbox 360 and PS3’s hardware, something the Switch is more than capable of handling. That’s not to say they’re perfectly spotless ports- for instance, both of them also have notable and not-infrequent frame rate drops, though thankfully, they’re nowhere close to being as significant as they are in Arkham Knight. Asylum and City both still look good on the Switch, and ultimately, both are still pretty playable, while their inherent strengths also make it much easier to push through the technical problems they do run into.

And obviously, there are plenty of inherent strengths to speak of here. Personally, I’ve always felt that Asylum was the best game in the series, thanks to its linear, more focused approach and its excellent Metroidvania-esque design sensibilities, but Arkham City obviously has its own unique appeal with its open world structure, which is also much less bloated than Arkham Knights. Meanwhile, regardless of how they’re structured, both games also feature excellent combat and stealth mechanics, compelling characters and storytelling, and authentic portrayals of the Batman universe that fans of the IP simply cannot miss.

"Asylum and City both still look good on the Switch, and ultimately, both are still pretty playable, while their inherent strengths also make it much easier to push through the technical problems they do run into."

Ultimately, however, Batman: Arkham Trilogy is a bit hard to recommend. Asylum and City are definitely worth playing on the Switch, but there are better versions of both games available on multiple platforms. Arkham Knight, meanwhile, is a broken mess, to the point where it’s hard not to be shocked by WB Games’ audacity to actually let it release in the state that it is in (not that the company has any issues with releasing hilariously terrible Switch ports- we got Mortal Kombat 1 just a few months ago, after all). Given all of those caveats, in spite of the fact that Asylum and City are essentially still the same excellent games on the Switch that they always have been, I find it hard to recommend the trilogy to Switch owners, especially when it costs $60. Yes, the package combines all three of Rocksteady’s games and all of their DLC together in a single package, but when the package stumbles in as many ways and as significantly as Batman: Arkham Trilogy does, it’s hard to afford it any sort of respect- which is a shame, because these games respect all the respect in the world when they’re allowed to exist in the form they should exist in.

This game was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

After many open world games that were released in 2023, we have another game that looks to end the year on a high note with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Developed by Massive of The Division fame, it sees players traversing the new Western Frontier and meeting the different tribes. Of course, the RDA remains a threat, and thus, the player must fight back.

As a first-person game, players can use firearms and bows to take out enemies. There are other things to immerse players in the experience, from free-running through environments and checking landmarks to finding specific objectives to a mini-game for plucking fruit. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora launches on December 7th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, and should be a strong end to a year of blockbusters.

Batman: Arkham Trilogy (Switch)

One of the most acclaimed superhero games of all time and one of the best video game trilogies is finally coming to Nintendo Switch in Batman: Arkham Trilogy. It’s out on December 1st and includes Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Knight with all their skins, Challenge Packs and story DLC. Altogether, it requires 53 GB of space on the Nintendo Switch, with the physical version requiring a download of the second and third games. How performance pans out remains to be seen, but Batman: Arkham Trilogy warrants a look for newcomers on the Switch.

SteamWorld Build

Image and Forms’ SteamWorld series returns with SteamWorld Build, which launches on December 1st for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. Unlike previous entries, this is a city-builder with elements of Dungeon Keeper thrown in. As part of a group of robot settlers, you build up a town, aiming to excavate Old Tech from the mine to find a way off the dying world.

It’s your job to hire Workers, expand the town, rebuild the train station and mine, bring in Engineers, manage resources and expenses, and much more on the surface. Meanwhile, you mine different resources below, fight off dangerous creatures (including giant worms with an appetite for robots) and explore relatively unknown paths while delving deeper.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria (PS5)

Despite its flaws, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is an interesting take on Tolkien’s world and launches on December 5th for PS5. Set in the Fourth Age, players create their custom Dwarf and venture to Moria to reclaim it. One doesn’t simply walk in, even with the word “friend”, so you must navigate its once-grand halls, desolate caves and abandoned quarters filled with Orcs, Goblins and other nasties.

As a survival sandbox adventure, gathering materials and crafting new weapons and armor is necessary, especially when encountering powerful bosses like the Watcher in the Water. There’s plenty of mining, though staving off the darkness, eating and establishing bases throughout is also important.

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Xbox Series X/S)

Probably the biggest release of the month already available on other platforms, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a headliner for Game of the Year. The game features an intriguing journey with multiple quests, unique consequences and an incredibly reactive world, including the titular city itself.

With hundreds of different ways to play, a typical playthrough can take about 75 to 100 hours, depending on the player. The Xbox Series X/S version is out next month, with the developer to announce a proper launch date at The Game Awards on December 7th. Local split-screen won’t be available for Xbox Series S at launch, but it’s still in the works.

Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance

As a “gritty” real-time strategy game, Slitherine’s Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance focuses on future wars between humans and Legion in the Dark Fate timeline. As the Founders’ commander, you must fight back against the deadly machines, battling across maps and recruiting allies to your cause.

Between different tactics, unit training, vehicles, weapons and more, you can also make decisions that influence a faction’s behavior towards you. If that weren’t enough, physics-based destruction allows for even more mayhem, while Skirmish and Multiplayer allow for playing as the Resistance and Legion. Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance launches on December 7th for PC.

The Day Before

After delays, a shift to Unreal Engine 5, even more delays, a trademark dispute, and – you guessed it – delays, Fntastic’s The Day Before is finally launching on December 7th for PC…via Steam Early Access. Players can explore New Fortune City and its surrounding areas, purchase and customize weapons, scavenge resources and fulfill requests for Woodberry Survivor Colony’s residents.

There’s an extraction shooter vibe, especially since you can encounter other players while battling against hordes of zombies. We won’t believe it until it’s in our hands, but The Day Before has our attention. Time will tell if the gameplay can keep us hooked until more updates roll out.

Custom Mech Wars

Craving mech combat action, especially after clearing Armored Core 6 three times? Need something to fill the void? D3 Publisher’s Custom Mech Wars probably isn’t the answer, but it looks like a fun time. Launching on December 14th for PS5 and PC, you can customize whatever mech you want. It can result in hilarious combinations, from tanks with legs to oversized arms and much more with no restrictions. A story mode with support for up to four players is available, promising a “variety” of missions.

Pioneers of Pagonia

Between SteamWorld Build and Against the Storm, it’s a month of city-builders, and Pioneers of Pagonia is yet another to add to the list. It’s set in a world of numerous islands, as you build a settlement, make alliances and explore the world (with maps procedurally generated). Of course, you’ll need to deal with bandits, wild creatures and more while helping fellow tribes. Launching in Steam Early Access for PC on December 13th, there are over 40 buildings and 70 goods to manage, along with a map creator and difficulty options.

Trinity Fusion

Currently available in Steam Early Access, Trinity Fusion is a rogue-lite action platformer where players control their parallel selves on a mission to save the multiverse. Levels are procedurally generated, with “hundreds” of custom rooms, though some hand-crafted areas and challenges are also in play.

There are three different parallel versions, each with unique abilities, and their worlds offer different biomes to explore, from caverns and labs to cities in the sky. Overall, the visuals look good and the gameplay smooth – we’ll see how the final version fares when it launches on December 15th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC.

It revealed in a new tweet, “More time is needed to bring players the best possible experience on Nintendo Switch. We apologize to fans who are excited to play this version of the trilogy. Thank you for your patience.”

Given the scale of the release, it’s understandable if more polish is needed. Also, considering the state of the publisher’s last major Nintendo Switch port (Mortal Kombat 1), providing more time for the development team may be for the best.

Batman: Arkham Trilogy’s port is handled by Turn Me Up Games, which also worked on It Takes Two and Borderlands Legendary Collection for the Nintendo Switch. It includes all three of Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham games, namely Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Knight, with all their downloadable content included. Stay tuned for more details and updates on the Switch version in the coming months.

https://twitter.com/BatmanArkham/status/1709029767851245954

Taking to Twitter, Rocksteady has announced that Batman: Arkham Trilogy will be launching for the Nintendo Switch on October 13- you know, because October wasn’t packed enough with major releases as it is.

As was the case with Arkham Trilogy when it launched for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, WB Games Montreal-developed Arkham Origins won’t be included, much to the dismay of the prequel’s fans- though those looking to dive into the Rocksteady trilogy on the go are going to finally have that option at long last.

https://twitter.com/RocksteadyGames/status/1691480165316952064