Yes, yes. We all want a new F-Zero, a new Pikmin, a new Metroid, a new Super Smash Bros and that. This is a given. And, providing the Switch doesn't tank like a Sherman, we'll probably get them.
And yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes - we all want Nintendo to create brand new games... but one of the things which sets the company apart is its heritage. For some reason, though, there are certain iconic Nintendo games which have been all but ignored.
Breath of the Wild has shown how Nintendo can capture its early magic in a way which brings a franchise bang up to date. Here are some long-dead Nintendo classics which need to be dragged before the Switch's flattering spotlight.
And yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes - we all want Nintendo to create brand new games... but one of the things which sets the company apart is its heritage. For some reason, though, there are certain iconic Nintendo games which have been all but ignored.
Breath of the Wild has shown how Nintendo can capture its early magic in a way which brings a franchise bang up to date. Here are some long-dead Nintendo classics which need to be dragged before the Switch's flattering spotlight.
DUCK HUNT
I'm not sure tasteful it is in 2017 to release a game where you shoot ducks... though you can slaughter goats and foxes in Breath of the Wild, leaving behind a slab of raw meat.
But c'mon - Duck Hunt is one of the most iconic Nintendo games of all time, and if anybody can find a way to make hunting palatable - it's Nintendo. Make them robot ducks, or something. I dunno. Do I look like a duck game expert?
Also... having played 1-2-Switch, the JoyCon controllers do a good job of doubling up as pistols - they could work extremely well, potentially, as shooters for a new take on this classic light gun game.
But c'mon - Duck Hunt is one of the most iconic Nintendo games of all time, and if anybody can find a way to make hunting palatable - it's Nintendo. Make them robot ducks, or something. I dunno. Do I look like a duck game expert?
Also... having played 1-2-Switch, the JoyCon controllers do a good job of doubling up as pistols - they could work extremely well, potentially, as shooters for a new take on this classic light gun game.
ETERNAL DARKNESS
Nintendo's take on the survival horror is overripe for a reappraisal. I loved it at the time, and it remains one of the most original takes on the genre - making your character's sanity one of your most valuable resources. It also jumped around through time, giving you control over protagonists in different eras - from the modern day, to ancient Rome and Persia. Resident Evil it was not.
Nintendo patented the game's novel "sanity meter", which displayed your character's psychological condition, as he or she was assaulted by Lovecraftian foulness.
It's also one of the few games to break the fourth wall between player and game - attempting to trick you into thinking there was something wrong with your Gamecube or TV. For this reason alone, I want to see a new take on it. It would be especially whimsical if the game pretended to break your Switch so effectively that you had it send it away for a replacement.
Nintendo patented the game's novel "sanity meter", which displayed your character's psychological condition, as he or she was assaulted by Lovecraftian foulness.
It's also one of the few games to break the fourth wall between player and game - attempting to trick you into thinking there was something wrong with your Gamecube or TV. For this reason alone, I want to see a new take on it. It would be especially whimsical if the game pretended to break your Switch so effectively that you had it send it away for a replacement.
WAVE RACE
Given that it was well received on the Nintendo 64, and was considered the successor to F-Zero, it's strange that Nintendo has barely capitalised on Wave Race. For the time, the water effects were astonishing; no word of a lie, playing it actually made me thirsty. Imagine what they could do today; I'd be licking the glass, like a safari park monkey.
Its sequel, Blue Storm, was a GameCube launch title, but since then... nothing. Why you do dis, Nintendo? Hydrophobes, much?
Its sequel, Blue Storm, was a GameCube launch title, but since then... nothing. Why you do dis, Nintendo? Hydrophobes, much?
DONKEY KONG
I never liked the Donkey Kong Country games. Sorry, Rare, but for me you ruined a great and iconic character. Oh, those graphics were nice... but Donkey's loping gait and weird jumping mechanic always felt off. And don't get me started on Diddy Kong - Nintendo's very own Scrappy Doo.
I want a proper Donkey Kong game - inspired by the original, with Mario as the protagonist. Make it a 3D, vertically-climbing platformer, with a series of short stages, where the aim is to reach the top - like in the original. Enough of this jungle nonsense. Let's face it, they're all being cut down anyway. Time to bring apes back to their natural habitat: building sites.
I want a proper Donkey Kong game - inspired by the original, with Mario as the protagonist. Make it a 3D, vertically-climbing platformer, with a series of short stages, where the aim is to reach the top - like in the original. Enough of this jungle nonsense. Let's face it, they're all being cut down anyway. Time to bring apes back to their natural habitat: building sites.
PILOTWINGS
The lack of a proper Pilotwings since Pilotwings 64 (yes, yes - I know there was Pilotwings Resort on the 3DS) is baffling. A proper iconic Nintendo franchise, it was one of the biggest early hits on the Super NES, and the most palatable and accessible flight simulator ever created.
Given the scale of the world in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it staggers the mind what Nintendo could do with a brand new flying game. Also, you could feature wingsuits, which seem to be all the rage these days - especially among extreme sports twats.
Given the scale of the world in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it staggers the mind what Nintendo could do with a brand new flying game. Also, you could feature wingsuits, which seem to be all the rage these days - especially among extreme sports twats.
WILD GUNMAN
Another iconic Nintendo light gun game, if only for its feature appearance in Back to the Future: Part II ("It's like a baby's toy!" whines the young Elijah Wood), Wild Gunman was released in two very different versions. Originally, it boasted live-action footage, but was re-released into arcades - this time utilising sprites, to bring it into line with Nintendo's NES version.
There's a quick-draw game in 1-2-Switch, but how great would it be to see a brand new Wild Gunman using those JoyCon controllers, set in an open world Wild West, created with that unmistakable Nintendo touch. Red Dead Redemption can suck a fat one.
There's a quick-draw game in 1-2-Switch, but how great would it be to see a brand new Wild Gunman using those JoyCon controllers, set in an open world Wild West, created with that unmistakable Nintendo touch. Red Dead Redemption can suck a fat one.
BALLOON FIGHT
The real killer feature of the Switch is its local two-player mode (which is a bit of a joke given that, once upon a time, this was a given on all consoles, but whatever).
This feature is what I want to see employed in a brand new Balloon Fight - a much-loved NES franchise that has, once again, somehow failed to be revived, barring an obscure Game Boy sequel. Bursting balloons is real big fun, you see. Just ask this guy (there's nothing sexual about it):
This feature is what I want to see employed in a brand new Balloon Fight - a much-loved NES franchise that has, once again, somehow failed to be revived, barring an obscure Game Boy sequel. Bursting balloons is real big fun, you see. Just ask this guy (there's nothing sexual about it):
ICE CLIMBER
Until I got an NES Mini for Christmas, I'd never played Ice Climber. It swiftly became my most played game on the retro Nintendo console.
Not a million miles from Donkey Kong - in that players are required to ascend the screen - in two player mode it's sort of like a proto-Super Smash Bros. (little wonder that the Ice Climbers have been regular fixtures of that series).
Time to give these Eskimos the headline appearance they deserve.
Not a million miles from Donkey Kong - in that players are required to ascend the screen - in two player mode it's sort of like a proto-Super Smash Bros. (little wonder that the Ice Climbers have been regular fixtures of that series).
Time to give these Eskimos the headline appearance they deserve.
EARTHBOUND
Earthbound - otherwise known as Mother 2 (it being sequel to the Japanese-only release Mother) - has become one of the most beloved RPGS ever released. Considering it was a SNES title, which came out in the mid-90s, it had no hesitation in upending RPG tropes, and gently poking fun at the genre. Its stylised Americana setting, tongue-in-cheek humour, and party-based gameplay are gagging for a remake.
Though a flop on its American release - perhaps not helped by the marketing slogan "This game stinks" - it has seen something of a re-evaluation over the years. There have been rumours of a sequel on and off for decades. Now's the time. Breath of the Wild-it-up, big stylee.
Though a flop on its American release - perhaps not helped by the marketing slogan "This game stinks" - it has seen something of a re-evaluation over the years. There have been rumours of a sequel on and off for decades. Now's the time. Breath of the Wild-it-up, big stylee.
STARTROPICS
Though clearly sporting a shameless Legend of Zelda influence, StarTropics was nevertheless one of the best RPGs ever released for the NES.
What it really has in its favour is its eschewing of a cliched fantasy setting; players assume the role of Mike, who travels to a tropical locale to rescue his uncle, who has gone missing as part of an alien plot.
The original game was packaged with an actual letter, which at one point late in the game required players to dip it in water to reveal a secret message. Why don't we get stuff like that with games these days? I'll tell you why: because games companies hate us.
What it really has in its favour is its eschewing of a cliched fantasy setting; players assume the role of Mike, who travels to a tropical locale to rescue his uncle, who has gone missing as part of an alien plot.
The original game was packaged with an actual letter, which at one point late in the game required players to dip it in water to reveal a secret message. Why don't we get stuff like that with games these days? I'll tell you why: because games companies hate us.
FROM THE ARCHIVE:
REMEMBERING THE OTHER INVENTIONS OF SIR CLIVE SINCLAIR
NINTENDO: LIFE BEFORE MARIO - A HISTORY
SUPER MARIO: HIS SECRET HISTORY
REMEMBERING THE OTHER INVENTIONS OF SIR CLIVE SINCLAIR
NINTENDO: LIFE BEFORE MARIO - A HISTORY
SUPER MARIO: HIS SECRET HISTORY
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