Nintendo needs to port these 12 games before Switch 2
There’s still plenty of gold to be mined from Nintendo’s back catalogue
Switch 2 may be on the way, but there’s still plenty of life to be had from the original Switch.
Nintendo has been extending the life of its console in recent years with a series of brilliant re-releases from its back catalogue.
Sometimes these come in the form of straight ports or detailed remasters – examples include Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Miitopa, Skyward Sword HD, Metroid Prime Remastered and Pikmin 1+2.
Other times it goes one step further and gives us full remakes, as seen in the likes of Super Mario RPG, Another Code: Recollection, Advance Wars 1+2: Reboot Camp and Famicom Detective Club.
As development focus shifts towards games for its next console, Nintendo may continue turning to its classics for inspiration, to keep the Switch‘s library topped up with new releases – a strategy that will be especially useful if we’re all lucky and the ‘Switch 2’ is backwards compatible.
Here, then, are 12 examples of games we’d love to see Nintendo bring back, before Switch 2 arrives.
Wind Waker and Twilight Princess HD
Thanks to a combination of new games, remakes, remasters and Switch Online retro libraries, it’s currently possible to play 12 separate entries in the Zelda series.
Of these, almost all the console entries are available – The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
The only two missing from the full set of main console Zelda games are the two GameCube titles, The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. What’s more, both were already given HD remasters on the Wii U, so they are already available in high-definition form.
You’ve got to imagine it’s only a matter of time, then, before Nintendo brings The Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD to Switch, finally allowing players to go through the entire console saga from the NES original all the way to Tears of the Kingdom on a single Nintendo device.
And maybe then we can start moaning for Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks and A Link Between Worlds, but one thing at a time.
Star Fox Zero
Star Fox Zero is one of the last remaining major Wii U games that have yet to get a Switch release, alongside Wii Fit U (which seems to have been replaced by Ring Fit Adventure), Nintendo Land (which seems almost impossible to port) and a handful of others.
The main argument made is that because Star Fox Zero made use of the Wii U’s GamePad to provide players with a first-person perspective while using the TV to provide a cinematic view of the action, it wouldn’t be as simple as a straight port.
While this is undoubtedly the case, and would almost certainly require more work than bringing something like Wind Waker HD or Twilight Princess HD to Switch, it wouldn’t be the first time a game is ported to a system that requires some extra tweaking on top of the usual procedure.
Indeed, the two-screen setup was one of the main criticisms levied at Star Fox Zero, so perhaps by changing the perspective to the more traditional ‘chase cam’ viewpoint from the SNES and N64 entries, people might see it in a newer, more positive light.
Further reading
Platinum wants to bring Star Fox Zero to Switch
Pullblox / Pushmo series
Over the years, Nintendo has released its fair share of hidden games on its eShops, and the Pullblox series is among the most shining examples.
There were four games in the series released across the 3DS and Wii U – Pullblox, Fallblox, Pullblox World and Fullblox (known in North America as Pushmo, Crashmo, Pushmo World and Stretchmo) – and every one of them was brilliant.
Playing as a small red sumo wrestler creature called Mallo, you have to rescue children from a series of large structures by pushing, pulling and jumping on blocks.
All four games were great little puzzlers, and all four are now delisted because of the 3DS and Wii U eShop closures. They’re just crying out for a Pullblox Collection HD four-in-one bundle on Switch.
Metroid Prime 2 and 3
Given that Metroid Prime Remastered was one of the best releases of 2023, it stands to reason that fans still waiting for Metroid Prime 4 could be satiated with more of the same.
It was claimed back in 2021 that the remaster of the first Metroid Prime was already finished and just waiting for the right time to be released. If this is true, you’d hope Metroid Prime 2 and 3 might be in a similar state.
Nintendo had previously released all three on a bundle in the Wii called Metroid Prime Trilogy, with motion control support added to Metroid 1 and 2.
We’d love to see individual releases for Metroid Prime 2 Remastered and Metroid Prime 3 Remastered, then, as well as a Trilogy Remastered bundle.
Further reading
Review: Metroid Prime Remastered is still essential, 20 years later
Metroid: Samus Returns
Speaking of Metroid, we really do think this 3DS gem could do with another airing.
Samus Returns is a fantastic remake of the Game Boy title Metroid II, handled by MercurySteam and Nintendo EPD.
The game was so well received that it led to MercurySteam being given the keys to the Metroid franchise again, resulting in the magnificent Switch title Metroid Dread.
However, given that Samus Returns was released on the 3DS six months after the Switch’s launch, a lot of players’ attentions were directed elsewhere, meaning it maybe didn’t get the love it deserves.
Further reading
Review: Metroid Dread is the comeback fans have been waiting for
Rhythm Heaven
The Rhythm Heaven games (or Rhythm Paradise, if you live in Europe) are a perfect blend of easy-to-learn mini-game controls and wonderfully catchy music.
After the Japan-only first game was released on the GBA, subsequent entries have made it to the DS, Wii and 3DS in the west, but it’s now been around nine years since the last one.
A port of 3DS game Rhythm Heaven Megamix would be the most welcome, given that it has the most mini-games in it (over 100).
That said, we’d happily take a re-release of the GBA original in the Switch Online catalogue. Even though it was only released in Japanese, it really doesn’t need any translation.
Kid Icarus Uprising
Last year, Kid Icarus Uprising director Masahiro Sakurai said he would love to see a new Kid Icarus game, but that it “seems difficult” without a team in place to work on it.
For now we’d settle for an HD remaster of Uprising, a game that – much like Star Fox Zero – deserved a little more love but was let down by awkward mechanics.
Although Uprising was generally well received with a Metacritic score of 83, the game’s control scheme was a sticking point for some, with the player moving with the Circle Pad, aiming with the touch screen and using the L shoulder button to fire.
By combining a far more suitable twin-stick control system (or even gyro controls if you’re feeling spicy) with a hefty boost to 1080p fidelity, the Switch could breathe new life into a game that was arguably bigger in scope than the handheld it was made for.
Pilotwings Resort
Another 3DS game that perhaps deserves more love than it got, Pilotwings Resort was a launch title for the handheld, and as a result, some tended to judge it on its 3D effects rather than the game itself.
In reality, Pilotwings Resort was a solid third entry in the series, set in the Wuhu Island resort previously seen in games like Wii Fit and Wii Sports Resort (and later featured in Mario Kart 7).
By the time Pilotwings Resort had been released, some players were starting to feel a little fatigued with Wuhu Island being used as the location for numerous games, despite Shigeru Miyamoto’s hope that the island would almost become known as a ‘character’ in its own right, hosting numerous games.
Now that it’s been a while, maybe players will welcome Wuhu Island back with fond nostalgia rather than resentment, giving Pilotwings Resort a second chance to impress (especially with its bonus vehicles like the squirrel suit).
Jam with the Band
Here’s one that’s a little left-field but is no less brilliant.
Developed by Nintendo’s Software Development Group, which was best known for the Brain Training games, Jam with the Band is the sequel to its Japan-only game Daigasso! Band Brothers (both of which were released on DS).
It’s a visually basic rhythm game but one with a bit more flexibility than others of its genre. Players choose a song, then pick the single instrument they’ll use for that song (there are over 60 across the game), meaning each song has different note charts.
The real fun comes when up to eight players connect their DS handhelds and each pick an instrument. When all eight are in sync and scoring well (hence the game’s title), it’s hugely satisfying.
Given the Switch’s support for eight controllers, we’d love to see a new version of Jam with the Band, especially if it retains the ability to create your own songs and download new ones.
Elite Beat Agents
Another rhythm game that could do with another shot at the spotlight, Elite Beat Agents retains a cult following 17 years after its release.
The game – like its two Japan-only counterparts Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 1 and 2 – has you playing as a cheer squad (in this case a group of cheerleader special agents).
Each stage presents you with a new scenario – a taxi driver trying to get to the hospital, a pug trying to get home, and so on – and the aim is to perform the cheer perfectly, in order to motivate each character to complete their task.
Given how the game is played Elite Beat Agents would have to be a touch screen only title, but this shouldn’t be an issue: the Switch version of Brain Training was played almost exclusively in handheld mode, so Nintendo clearly has no issue with removing docked TV play if it doesn’t suit a game.
Hotel Dusk and Last Window
When developer Cing went bankrupt in 2010, it was a sad day for fans of narrative adventures.
The studio was responsible for a small but solid helping of memorable DS and Wii games, including the Another Code titles.
Recently, both Another Codes were given full remakes for the Switch and released as the two-in-one compilation Another Code: Recollection, and there are one or two little references in there to Kyle Hyde, the protagonist of Cing’s wonderfully atmospheric DS games Hotel Dusk and Last Window.
It may take a couple more years, but we’d love to see Kyle Hyde getting the same attention Another Code’s Ashley got, with remakes of Hotel Dusk and Last Window (especially because the latter didn’t get a North American release).
Excite Truck and Excitebots
Finally, a pair of games that have been criminally overlooked almost since they were released.
Excite Truck was one of the earliest Wii games and suffered a great deal of rejection from players too busy with Wii Sports. It deserved better, because its ridiculous over-the-top jumps and its unique points-based gameplay mechanic made it a joy to play.
Often, finishing first in a race in Excite Truck wasn’t enough: you also had to build more points by performing stunts, barging into enemies and staying in the air for as long as possible.
Its sequel ExciteBots (which didn’t make it to Europe) was even more eccentric, with animal-themed robot cars and a bunch of silly in-race set pieces that had players throwing darts, ploughing through bowling pins and knocking footballs into goals while still jockeying for first place.
We’d desperately love to see both games getting bundled together, running in HD at 60 frames per second.
