Are these 10 classic western RPGs ever going to change?

Ultima (1981)

Without Ultima, we do not think any other RPG on this list would exist. This groundbreaking role-playing game not only paved the way for WRPGs, but also inspired Japanese role-playing games such as Dragon Quest. Random matches, statistical distribution, a fantastic world to explore – you name it, Ultima did it first.

Probability: 2/10 Unfortunately, we are more likely to find a gem of immortality in the real world than to get a gateway to one of the many Ultima games. The original creator, Richard Garriot, moved on from the franchise to become an astronaut, and there is no precedent for Ultima games being ported to Nintendo consoles. Electronic Arts owns the rights now, and we’m pretty sure all of its development houses are busy working on Madden’s and Battlefields – but do not quote us about it.

Diablo (1996)

A remake of Diablo II made a lot of sense. The sequel to Blizzard’s original dungeon crawler popularized the action-RPG genre, which thrives to this day, yet many consider Diablo II to be the highlight that any subsequent game has yet to overcome. The first Diablodid not get the same genre-defining praise, however, but there is no doubt that it is an influential game that, shockingly, has not yet received a remaster after all these years.

Probability: 5/10 – Guessing whether Diablo will one day come to Switch or not is about as easy as unraveling Belial’s latest network of lies. Vicarious Visions succeeded in reviving Diablo II on the Switch – it’s true, and Diablo III also received a port, which we would argue is the best way to play Blizzard’s controversial follow-up. If any developer gets started making the first Diablo, we would expect it to turn on the Switch in the same way we expect the Lord of Terror to in some way make another unlikely return Diablo IV.

But it’s big if without even mentioning Hell Bovine in space: Microsoft now owns Activision Blizzard. There is a precedent for Microsoft allowing games it publishes to release on Switch (see Ori and the blind forest, Banjo Kazooie), but until the dust settles on the massive acquisition, who can say how Microsoft will handle Activision Blizzard games?

Fallout (1997)

The switch has become an unlikely home for many classic computer role-playing games, such as the enhanced versions of Baldur’s Gate and Never winter nights. But where is the original Fall out? The 1997 classic differed from previous CRPGs by pushing players from Vault 13 to a post-apocalyptic America – brilliant with 1950s images and nuclear weapons – rather than a fantasy world, creating a completely unique setting that deserves a tool to modern sensitivity.

Probability: 5/10 The question is, as with Diablo, whether the Switch’s massive installation base tempts Microsoft, as it now owns Fallout’s current developer, Bethesda. We know Bethesda loves to transfer its features to the switch, and the switch has Fallout Shelter available on its eShop. We’re pretty sure to say that Switch would make a home too tempting for a Fallout re-release if that were to happen.

Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven (1998)

The long-running Might and Magic series has undoubtedly inspired the games on this list as much as Ultima. Many consider the sixth entry, Heaven’s mandatefor having heralded a golden age of WRPGs with the fully explorable world of Enroth that thrilled gamers back in the late 90s and killed the former grid-based exploration seen in other Western role-playing games as a fearsome dragon.

Probability: 3/10 – Ubisoft currently owns the rights to Might and Magic and all of its subsequent spin-off series. The company seems to be content to banish the franchise to the crowded wastelands of the mobile market. While much like Bethesda, Ubisoft enjoys transferring its games to the Nintendo Switch as much as it loves milking its best-selling franchises for every penny. If there were to be a Might and Magic remastered collection, we would no doubt expect the game to show up on the Switch – but with how little brand recognition the Might and Magic series has these days, we are not holding our breath.

Deus Ex (2000)

The first Two Exdeveloped by Ion Storm and now championed by Eidos Montreal, successfully merged western role-playing games with first-person shooter elements, setting a precedent for other hybrid RPGs (Mass effect and BioShock, anyone?). Players solved scenarios in any way they saw fit: through extensive dialog trees, hacking computers, or using weapons whose words were not their strength.

Probability: 6.75 / 10 – Only once has a Deus Ex game appeared on a Nintendo console, and that was Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut on Wii U. The latest main feature in the series, Mankind divided, was released a year before the Nintendo Switch. When there’s another Deus Ex game, Switch may not be able to handle it, but if the original is ever remade or remastered, we do not need JC Denton to infiltrate Eidos Montreal to find out if it’s coming to Switch or not. Most likely it would.

With Embracer Group in the process of acquiring the studio and IP from Square Enix, we may again see activity in this series.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002)

Every time Todd Howard and friends stop porting Skyrim to every conceivable system, we very much hope they transfer the older Elder Scrolls games to Switch. No more than The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the title that launched both the series and the open-world RPG genre to popularity, as if it used a Scroll of Icarian Flight. Morrowind is, like many titles on this list, a bit rough at the edges, but perhaps a polished re-release prior to The Elder Scrolls VI that drum hype is in place.

Probability: 5/10 – No one is saying when or if Bethesda plans to re-release Morrowind or other TES games. But despite Microsoft’s acquisitions, we’d expect any remake or remaster to end up on the Switch with how strong Bethesda and Nintendo’s relationship looks.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (2004)

Often tagged ‘Deus Ex with vampires’, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines lurked out of sight as a particularly insidious vampire when it debuted and eventually gained a cult-like status. For some time, the series has been dormant until recently, when Hardsuit Labs and Paradox Interactive revived the franchise with the announcement of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. To this day, Bloodlines has some of the best writing seen in a WRPG, making it a shame that so many missed it the first time. This game asks for a remaster or a port more than anything else on this list.

Probability: 7/10 – The Vampire: Masquerade franchise is brought back to life as an unjustly killed vampire. Prior to Bloodlines 2, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong will be released next month on several platforms including the Nintendo Switch. With two games on the way and perhaps a vampire renaissance on the horizon, a remake of the cult classic that also lands on the Switch seems inevitable.

Neverwinter Nights 2 (2006)

For better or worse, we got the first Neverwinter Nights on the Nintendo Switch in 2019. BioWare’s role-playing game classic, along with Baldur’s Gate, laid the foundation for its later megahits in Dragon Age and Mass Effect – and its sequel, Neverwinter Nights 2, though Obsidian Entertainment took the reins for the second outing. But right now, we have not yet received the follow-up on the Nintendo Switch.

Probability: 7/10 – CRPGs have experienced something of a renaissance on the Nintendo Switch, with enhanced versions galore ported to it. It’s somewhat of a surprise that only the first Neverwinter Nights received the Switch treatment, but we expect soon that some developer will quarrel over the licenses from the demon-infested dungeon it languishes in.

Dragon Age: Origins (2009)

That’s over a decade ago Dragon Age: Origins impressed both players and critics with its complex characters and incredibly captivating narrative. We’re sorry to point this out, and hope you do not feel as old as we do. But – and stay with us here – a decade signifies the ‘classic’ status, does not it? If a Dragon Age collectible game for the Nintendo Switch is similar to Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (and where is it anyway?), We would be first in line to pre-order.

Probability: 2/10 – Unfortunately, we have no confidence that a Dragon Age collection would end up on the Switch after the Mass Effect collection skipped the console. Sure, Dragon Age: Origins would run well enough, but the third game in the series, Inquisitioncan struggle with Switchen hardware.

Witcher II: Assassin of Kings

If you argued Witcher III: Wild Hunt the epitome of the WRPG genre, we would be hard pressed to disagree. Few games on this list received as much universal praise as Geralt’s third role-playing adventure, which focused heavily on an involved narrative with an abundance of difficult choices to make with each quest. We’re looking at you, bloody baron.

To the surprise of many, the Witcher III came to the Nintendo Switch. And so did the spinoff card game, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. But what about the first two games CD Project Red developed? The first Witcher game carries its age on its sleeve, however Witcher II: Assassin of Kings is a formidable WRPG in itself.

Probability: 5.5 / 10 – Unlike many WRPG developers, Microsoft has not yet purchased CD Project Red (bank on wood). If one day we get a Witcher collection, we would probably get a version on a Nintendo console.