It’s time to address some of the negative Nancys out there. It seems as though detractors of the Nintendo Switch have been quick to point out that it has become something of a dumping ground for Wii U ports.
Though the argument could be made that this is, in fact, a good thing, allowing people who missed out on last gen’s best titles to finally have a whirl, there is at least a bit of validity to the statement.
How best to combat this stigma, while still squeezing as much sweet nectar out from Nintendo’s backlog as possible? I hear you muttering to yourself, ‘virtual console,’ or some other silly nonsense, do I?
(Cue violent slamming of fists upon the desk)
Wii ports, dammit! That’s what the public demands!! And if they haven’t demanded it yet, that just means that we can preemptively implant the idea into their heads. We’ll call it the ‘Motion Classics’ collection, splash a coat of HD graphics on it and charge full retail price. Great meeting, everyone. Off to the ostrich races and other such eccentric billionaire activities!
In all seriousness, the versatile functionality of the Joy-Cons makes them the perfect successor to the iconic Wii remote. The substantial library of the mid-2000s sensation is worth reconsideration, particularly now that the Switch has made motion controls hot, trendy and sweaty all over again.
But where to begin? Perhaps some of these hits could whet the Wii whistle…
Wii Motion Control Games for the Switch
Wii Sports Resort
The Wii series of games is synonymous with the success of its home console for reasons beyond just naming conventions. Each entry added a new quirk or gimmick to take full advantage of this wonderful new controller, from Wii Play’s gyroscopic dynamics to Wii Music’s capability to show you that there is no god.
Wii Sports Resort sits atop the empire, however, for taking the best of Wii Sports, and adding much, much more. Taking place on sunny Wuhu Island, it really did have the feel of a luxurious vacation.
Did you want to take in all the sights on a breathtaking tour overhead? Or maybe try your hand at some thrilling water sports? Perhaps you just want to beat the everloving crap out of assailants with a plastic sword?
You do you, man. You do you.
The series took a backseat in the days of the Wii U, only cropping up in often unwelcome ways like the ‘buy to try’ model of Wii Sports Club, and it’s long overdue to resurface. Never forget where you were when you finally beat that smug prick Tommy in a game of pickup to become the new champion of the basketball court.
Even if that was just in your parents’ living room, wearing your Garfield ‘I hate Mondays’ pyjamas.
Wii Motion Control Games for the Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
For a brief period of time, there were rumblings that this was actually going to happen after Zelda head Eiji Aonuma made whimsical allusions to the possibility.
The hype was short-lived, however, as less than a week later a Nintendo spokesperson told Eurogamer: “at this time we have no plans to release The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword on Nintendo Switch.”
Cue the Ballad of the Wind Fish, for it seemed the dream had come to a melancholic end. Despite this, it’s still worth discussing, both because of the validity of the concept, and because if Nintendo pull a 180, we will appear wonderfully prescient.
Skyward Sword was a divisive title in the Zelda series, to say the least. Hamstrung by inconsistent motion controls and feeling somewhat superfluous after Twilight Princess had already brought the franchise to the new generation, many people have it ranked in the lower echelons of Zeldadom.
Could a retooling bring things up a notch, and allow the gameplay to catch up to the vision? It’s certainly possible, especially considering the considerable levels of charm found in this high-flying fantasy. Who could forget the first time they met Groose, after all, or the imposing demon Batreaux? There’s a lot to like here.
Wii Motion Control Games for the Switch
Link’s Crossbow Training
If we can’t have the Zelda game that made people mad, maybe we could have the Zelda game that made people apathetic?
This offshoot (pun) of Twilight Princess came bundled with the Wii Zapper, and played pretty much as you’d expect: As Link, you fired arrows at targets, Stalfos and Bokoblins in an effort to achieve the highest score and claim a glorious platinum medal.
It was rightfully deemed as being too short, with some publications giving the single player an approximate completion time of one hour. This, coupled with the absence of an official gun peripheral for the Switch, surely makes it an unlikely candidate for revisiting, right?
Yeah, probably. I apologize for wasting your time. No, not at all!
For you see, the Switch has Labo in its back pocket, and after all of the mystique surrounding its release, it’s gone pretty quiet on the cardboard front.
In general, there has been something of a divide between Labo and Nintendo’s more prominent franchises, save for an update that provided Vehicle Kit functionality to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Closing that gap with one of the most iconic gaming mascots of all time? It’s money in the bank, and still appropriate for all ages, so long as you design the Toy-Con in a way that it doesn’t resemble an actual gun. I’d buy it. Then I’d tell my neighbor to buy it, effectively doubling the sales.
Wii Motion Control Games for the Switch
Tiger Woods PGA Tour
In 2019, mentioning the name of Tiger Woods will evoke reactions that range from nostalgia to pity, as the once dominant golfer tries his best to remain competitive in a sport that seems to have all but passed him by.
Rewind the clock 10 years, however, and you’ll get a very different response.
This was the face of golf; a man with such skill and charisma, he brought fans in from all walks of life. He turned the whole image of the golfer around, from a bunch of sweaty old men to something hip and trendy, akin to a real life Happy Gilmore. Except he never punched Bob Barker in the face. I’m pretty sure.
His tie-in series of video games were top of the class. Tiger Woods was to golfing games what John Madden was to football; emblematic of innovation and quality. And rarely was this quite so apparent as it was on the Wii, where the sometimes maligned implementation of motion controls was done in a way that was both fun and unique.
It hit its crescendo in Tiger Woods PGA Tour ’12, where the Wii Balance Board was brought into the equation. You would look like an absolute wanker playing it, but you’d have a blast all the same.
Does this suggest we believe that the Wii Balance Board will someday come back into the Switch accessory lineup? Not necessarily. If it did, you could potentially have a Wii Fit revival (a runaway hit for Nintendo, in case you forgot). But failing that, you could surely cobble together some sort of Labo contraption instead.
Yes, I do intend to arbitrarily insert Labo into any Nintendo game I can, in the same manner eccentric retirees force Christmas sweaters onto unhappy cats.
If you don’t like it, build a bridge. Preferably out of Labo.
Wii Motion Control Games for the Switch
Trauma Center
The game of life is often precarious and fraught with setbacks. Fortunately, in the Trauma Center series, you’ll get to test just how fragile it is, complete with anime-style commentary and more mythical ailments than a gratuitous LARP session!
To say that these games are weird would perhaps be an understatement. Back in the day, it used to be ‘buy me the game with the blue hedgehog, mom!’ Whereas, ‘I want the game where you perform open heart surgery or they die’ is a harder sell.
In any event, Trauma Center is probably the most logical game for this list, as it is famous for its use of motion controls on the Wii and DS. With the Joy-Con’s more formidable range of capabilities, the mouth simply salivates over the potential operations that could be made possible.
Twist! Turn! Shake! Pull! It’s a malpractice suit just waiting to happen, but it sure is a hoot.
Wii Motion Control Games for the Switch
Red Steel 2
The Wii actually had a lot more mature titles than people give it credit for. The major issue is that you had to sift through swarths of wagglecentric shovelware in order to find it.
The Red Steel games, courtesy of Ubisoft, were built from the ground up for the Nintendo console (proving that they have been BFFs for quite some time now). The first was a little bit shonky in places, but the sequel wisely implemented the Motion Plus accessory to make your reckless slaughtering that much more enjoyable.
With a clever weapon upgrade system, new wrinkles were added into the control scheme as you progressed, and eventually, you were waving the Wii remote all over the place in a delighted frenzy. Not only are the Joy-Cons capable of replicating this, but building upon it.
If, then, you think that a sequel would be the more logical route, we bring your attention to last year’s Bayonetta ports, successfully rekindling our love for the umbra witch and building hype towards the upcoming third entry.
We need to remember what Red Steel was all about before we even think of taking another step forward. It was about… well, red steel is actually an excellent summation, but there were also some red bullets and red corpses and the occasional red jacket, which was very trendy indeed.
Wii Motion Control Games for the Switch
Mario Kart Wii
File this one under: won’t happen but shucks it makes a lot of gosh darn sense, boy howdy. Most people in accounting talk like that, I’ll have you know.
The Nintendo Switch already has a Mario Kart port in the form of Mario Kart 8, and it is, needless to say, a fantastic offering that is peerless in its field. To suggest that they should take another step back and port an even older title is such a stretch, you’d think it was part of a balanced training regime at the gym.
However, let’s posit something to you: Mario Kart Wii’s remote and Nunchuk control combination is among the most fluid and natural in gaming, particularly when you’re riding on a motorbike (in-game, please don’t try this on an actual motorbike). Flick the Wii remote to pop a wheelie and gain speed, cruise smoothly with the Nunchuk, and claim the easy victory.
Sure, it was completely unbalanced and rendered the titular karts borderline obsolete, but it felt damned good, all the same. Imagine then, how amazing it would feel with a Joy-Con in each hand, completely untethered. Update the online capabilities, sell it as a digital-only title to cut on production costs, keep the sideways wheel functionality because surely someone out there uses it, and bam. Mario Kart Wii Deluxe.
As someone who has never been involved in the creation, manufacturing or publishing of video games, I think this sounds like a foolproof plan. If you agree, leave a comment down below! If you disagree, leave a comment but then click cancel because rumor has it, that makes it work even better.
Wii Motion Control Games for the Switch
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Just give us a Monkey Ball. Any Monkey Ball. It doesn’t matter if it’s Tip ‘n Tilt, Touch & Roll or Baboon Scrotum, we’re long overdue for some of that frantic monkey lovin’.
For the purpose of this article, however, we will postulate the idea that the Wii’s Banana Blitz —not particularly the strongest game in the series— is nonetheless a logical candidate for revisiting. AiAi and company seem custom made for the Joy-Cons, with their precarious tracks and hairpin turns being well within the controller’s capabilities.
Banana Blitz was plagued by orientation issues common in early Wii titles, often requiring you to pause and recalibrate the controller at the most inopportune times. Thanks to the superior 2019 technology, this would be a thing of the past, allowing for smooth chimp navigation. Let that phrase sink in. Smooth. Chimp. Navigation.
Some might prefer to have gone down the Marble Saga route, but that itch has been at least partially scratched by September’s Marble It Up! Besides, when given the option, we would always prefer to recommend games that have primates trapped in capsules. Apes-a-poppin’!!
Any other motion control-focused Wii games that you think would make perfect sense on the Switch? Let us know! We love to hear your valuable opinions and feedback, even the negative stuff that makes me cry at night. It’s character building, my daddy tells me.
Published: Jan 22, 2019 10:07 am