Pokemon Snap
Pokemon Snap was such a simple concept back in the Nintendo 64 days. There’s 151 Pokemon out there in the wild. Go out and snap some photos of all of them.
It could take skilled players only an afternoon to snap them all but longevity wasn’t the appeal. Pokemon Snap was incredibly immersive and seeing Pokemon move and play in their natural habitat was something that we’ve never seen before.
A new updated version of Pokemon Snap would have so much potential. For starters, there’s way more Pokemon now so there’s obviously a lot of room to build on the original game in terms of scope.
Obviously a lot has changed in between the Nintendo 64 and the Nintendo Switch, so a new game could leverage modern features like more a complex AI and environments to keep gameplay varied, multiplayer competitions to see who can snap the better photos, and social elements that let you share your best photos.
Companies love finding ways for their game to get buzz on social media and Pokemon Snap could be a home run on that front.
It just seems like such a no brainer game that would have cross-generational appeal, and I just can’t figure out why Nintendo has yet to seize this low-hanging fruit, and jump at the chance to remake Pokemon Mystery Dungeon for whatever reason instead.
Ape Escape
Ape Escape blew our minds back in 1999 when it managed to leverage the full power of the very first DualShock controller on the PS1.
While, yes, a lot of the intrigue was that it was the first game that really made use of the DualShock’s dual analog sticks, but it also had more going on for it than just that.
Ape Escape’s gameplay was just nothing that we’ve ever really seen before and it’s still one of the most unique games ever made.
You were able to fully explore 3D levels and had relative freedom to experiment with various gadgets trying to figure out how to catch the apes that were scattered all throughout. Tinkering with different strategies and then seeing your plan come together was a joy.
A very ambitious and modern Ape Escape game could break the barriers down between levels and create larger open worlds for players to explore. Imagine with me for a moment, levels the size of Monster Hunter: World areas but filled to the brim with nothing but irritating monkeys.
Ah… that would be the dream.
Banjo-Kazooie
I’ve written specifically about Banjo-Kazooie before, but it’s worth saying again: Banjo-Kazooie has more than earned another shot at the spotlight.
Despite the fact that the series’ best years are more than a decade behind it, the titular duo have somehow persisted and even flourished as recently as last year with their appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
3D platforming fell out of favor, but is now back on the menu with the popularity and success of games like Super Mario Odyssey and A Hat in Time.
Other icons from the 90s and early 2000s such as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and others have had their glory days rekindled. Banjo-Kazooie should be next up if someone at Microsoft can figure out a way to make it happen.
And no, sorry to all the Nuts & Bolts stans but it doesn’t count.
Chao Garden
This one is for the Sega-kids and Sonic fans (like myself) that are out there. Can we talk about why Chao Gardens aren’t a thing yet? I don’t understand, do you?
I don’t care what form it takes: it can be a part of a new Sonic game like it was back in the Adventure games, it can be its own standalone thing, I would even settle for some stupid freemium mobile game if that’s what it would take for Sega to feel comfortable pulling the trigger on it.
Chao Gardens were so much fun. Like other “sim” or “life” style games, it’s hard to explain the appeal until you get your hands on it yourself.
Few people would think the concept of farming games like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing would be fun if they never heard of it before, but they are both among the most popular to come out this generation.
Along that same line, there was just something about finding small animals to infuse into the essence of your little blue alien pet in order to change their characteristics so they could be more cute, evil, or perform better in competitions that was just so oddly satisfying.
Expanding on that with more ambitious ways to play with and raise your Chao in addition to infusing some modern elements like possibly AR (ala Pokemon GO) and/or multiplayer gameplay would be such a treat.
Mario Party Remake
Nintendo has had a hard time over the last, oh I don’t know, decade, trying to figure out what they want to do with the Mario Party series. The most recent Mario Party on the Switch was probably the best entry in some time, but it wasn’t exactly flawlessly executed either.
Let’s stop trying to reinvent the wheel here Nintendo. Or at least take a breather, and remind yourself why the series is so popular to begin with.
Package the three classic N64 Mario Party games from the late 90s and early 2000s together into one super game with modern graphics, and it ought to be the easiest money Nintendo has ever made.
