Nintendo has been on a roll as of late. A brand new console selling like hot cakes, two potential Game of the Year contenders in Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey and, on top of all that, they brought back one of the biggest franchises in Metroid after a minor hiatus. There’s a renewed sense of confidence in the brand after a few missteps during the Wii U era, which has everyone super excited at the prospect of some other classic franchises making a grand return. But for every Metroid or F-Zero, there’s a number of other Nintendo IPs that wait in the wings with even slimmer chances at making a comeback.
This is just a small sample of the content the world cries out for each day (one way or another) that Nintendo continues to shy away from.
KID ICARUS: UPRISING
Following 2012’s Kid Icarus: Uprising on 3DS, the first title in the series since 1991, Pit hasn’t been seen or heard from outside of the Super Smash Bros. series since. Uprising was originally developed as a 3DS launch title but was delayed during development, and pitched as one of the bigger releases for the young handheld console at the time. But despite solid reviews and decent sales numbers, Pit and co. haven’t had any further adventures outside of some cameo appearances.
Development of the title went through a few teething problems, specifically with the 3DS hardware and its awkward controls that weren’t entirely suited to Uprising’s concept, but perhaps on the Nintendo Switch those issues may become a thing of the past. Pushing the 3DS to its limits is one thing, but a console that can run Doom? That’s another.
Sadly, it’s unlikely a direct sequel will ever happen. Developer Project Sora was shut down without explanation a few months after Uprising’s release, while parent company Sora Ltd. continued their work on the Smash Bros. series, which clearly is a priority for the company given its continued success over the years. Pit might appear again in another form, however, so don’t give up hope just yet.
ICE CLIMBER
Unlike Pit, who continues to appear in the Smash Bros. series, Popo and Nana (AKA the Ice Climbers) were dropped from the recent 3DS and Wii U editions of the mascot brawler. The reason, according to director Masahiro Sakurai, was due to technical issues with the 3DS and its inability to correctly incorporate them into the action, hence they were also dropped from the console edition.
And then there’s Ice Climber itself, the original platform game that debuted all the way back in 1985 that has never had a sequel. That’s despite numerous re-releases on various Nintendo consoles over the years, so the argument that no one remembers them doesn’t really cut it. Granted, it isn’t the only NES original that hasn’t had a sequel over the years (nor is it the only NES classic on this list), but the platform adventure that had you climbing level after level to reach the top would be the most perfectly suited to a modern makeover, especially given the current indie retro trend that continues to sell Pop Vinyls like crazy.
One solution? Ice Climbers Mobile. Just don’t tell anyone it looks like Doodle Jump.
EARTHBOUND
Earthbound very much fits the mould of a classic RPG, in fact many modern RPG developers consider it as their greatest influence, from indie darling Undertale to South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone (who now have two RPGs on their resumes).
Earthbound definitely has the most potential of every dormant Nintendo franchise right now, and the calls for a sequel have been coming from fans for years. Since Nintendo seem to be listening to their audience more than ever before (hello Metroid), maybe now is the right time to finally push out a new adventure in this entirely charming series.
There is another possibility, however. Way back when, a sequel was in development for 64DD, the disk expansion to the Nintendo 64. No one knows for sure how far along this potential sequel was before the plug was pulled on both it and the console expansion, but we’re currently living in an age where we’re playing Starfox 2 after 20 years in limbo, so who knows what’s possible if an N64 mini comes to fruition.
1080 SNOWBOARDING
Remember when snowboarding games were actually cool? No offense to Steep, but the days of 1080 Snowboarding and SSX were some of the best of the sport. So, what happened? Did we get tired of going downhill at high speeds and pulling off fancy tricks? Well, sort of.
Steep wasn’t exactly a success, despite what Ubisoft might say. Worse, the last Tony Hawk release by Activision proved that even the major publishers have gone somewhat cold on the concept, at least from the point of view of giving a studio a budget big enough to get the job done. Worse still, even a fan favorite like Skate still hasn’t had anything going for it, with EA constantly saying ‘one day’ while FIFA and Madden churn out sequel after sequel each year. Thanks, EA.
In the case of 1080 Snowboarding, there’s a few opportunities there. So far the few sports titles on the Switch have held up fairly well despite a few niggling technical issues, but there’s absolutely a market there. And let’s be real, of all the studios right now, Nintendo seems to be on a roll when it comes to reinventing or reinvigorating brands you thought couldn’t evolve any further. Who’s to say a 1080 sequel couldn’t do the same?
BALLOON FIGHT
This one is a bit of a long shot, but not because of what Balloon Fight is. The action arcade game that has you trying to pop balloons might not sound like much, but get into the swing of it and a two player battle can be just as exciting as the classics like Joust. It’s more to do with a lack of franchise awareness than anything else, given how long its been.
Unfortunately Balloon Fight never became more than its original arcade and NES releases, though it has appeared in other forms over the years. Most recently a very similarly designed game called Balloon Trip Breeze appeared in the Wii U launch title Nintendoland, while Legend of Zelda hero Tingle got his own DS style edition called Tingle’s Balloon Fight. So it still ‘exists,’ but like Ice Climbers there’s a bankable opportunity just waiting for the right studio to come along under the right conditions.
 POKEMON CONQUEST
Nintendo has been far more open to collaborations and spin-offs of some of their most popular IPs of late, see Mario & Rabbids or Hyrule Warriors as two recent examples. One of the less heralded but still thoroughly entertaining projects came with Pokemon Conquest, combining everyone’s favorite pocket monsters with the tactical RPG series Nobunaga’s Ambition by Koei Tecmo. The 2012 DS release may not have sold as many copies as a main Pokemon title, but it certainly set the bar a lot higher in the spin-off department than many of the other Pokemon titles that have tried to deliver a different kind of experience with Pikachu and company (one obvious exception aside).
As yet, there’s no word on a potential sequel, but given Koei’s continued partnerships with Nintendo of late thanks to said Hyrule Warriors and the more recent Switch release, Fire Emblem Warriors, there’s still hope for another Pokemon title that isn’t just about catching them all. Speaking of which…
POKEMON SNAP
That obvious exception in the Pokemon spin-off department? Of course, it’s Pokemon Snap. An N64 highlight that has continued to avoid the sequel or remake treatment, Pokemon Snap is a highlight of many a young Pokemon fan back in the early days. Having you snap pictures of various gen 1 Pokemon may not sound necessarily entertaining, but here it’s delivered with plenty of humor and some surprisingly engaging puzzle mechanics.
If a Nintendo 64 mini becomes a reality next year, the obvious bet would be placed on Pokemon Snap making an appearance. But a genuine sequel? After all this time it’s still a very outside chance, but the fan base would be mighty pleased if it did turn up one day despite the long wait. Besides, there are over 800 Pokemon just sitting there waiting for a photo op or two, just think of all the Eevee selfies!
WAVE RACE
Like 1080 Snowboarding before it, Wave Race hasn’t been seen for a few console generations now, and that’s another missed opportunity. Since its debut on the Game Boy in 1992 and, more famously, as an early launch title for the Nintendo 64, Wave Race has only appeared one further time during the GameCube era.
The Nintendo Switch is primed and ready for plenty of local and online multiplayer games. If 1080 doesn’t fit the the mould, then surely Wave Race could bring a little arcade racing action into the family lounge room. In Nintendo’s hands and perhaps with a few Mario Kingdom faces thrown into the mix, anything could be possible with a modern Wave Race.
DIDDY KONG RACING
Oh Diddy Kong Racing, how we miss you. Of all the names on this list, DKR is the biggest pipe dream of them all. Originally developed by Rare, the N64 classic gave Nintendo’s own Mario Kart series a serious run for its money, pitting Diddy Kong and friends (remember Banjo and Conker’s cameos?) in racing cars, hovercrafts, and airplanes across coloful race tracks and tricky boss fights.
Though a true sequel has never come along, Nintendo wasso pleased with its reception that Donkey Kong Racing was put into development for the GameCube. And then Microsoft purchased Rare for a tidy sum in 2002, so all plans for the racer were scrapped.
A sequel of sorts did appear in the form of Banjo Pilot, a DS exclusive completed after Microsoft’s buyout that originally starred Diddy Kong, plus Diddy Kong Racing itself was re-released on the DS not long later, but a true sequel is still missing in action. So while everyone keeps pining for F-Zero, we Diddy Kong Racing lovers will be sitting over here impatiently tapping our feet.
ADVANCE WARS
These days, Japanese developer Intelligent Systems is more known for their Fire Emblem series than anything else, and rightly so. That IP has grown rapidly in the last few years, with a number of high profile releases on the 3DS. But early on, Fire Emblem wasn’t the only much loved portable franchise the studio had worked on.
The ‘Wars’ series dates back to 1988 on the Famicom, but it wasn’t until Advance Wars that it finally made the trip out West, which marked an important milestone for the studio and for Nintendo. Its success and eventual sequels across the GBA and DS helped to push Fire Emblem into the mainstream, but despite a semi-sequel in Batallion Wars (by a different internal studio) we haven’t seen a new ‘Wars’ game for quite a while. It’s a shame too, since turn-based action games are all the rage again thanks to XCOM and Mario + Rabbids, the world is primed and ready for another animated battle zone. One day, little tank, one day.
Published: Nov 10, 2017 09:30 am