Video Games

5 Game Ports That Nintendo Should Do Next

We all have games of old that we’d like to to play again on a newer console. It’s a big reason why backward compatibility is a selling point for consoles, after all. So with Super Mario 3D World’s re-release, I figured why not write about the games Nintendo should port next? Let’s take a look, shall we?

Star Fox Zero (Wii U)

Star Fox Zero is unique on this list because I have not been given a chance to play it. I would like to see this game ported because I wish to see more Star Fox, and I find it likelier to get a port then an entirely new game at this point. It shouldn’t be hard to adapt the Wii U gamepad controls when they solved this for Pikmin 3 Deluxe and Skyward Sword by giving players an option to play with traditional button controls.

Mario Party Collection (1-7) (N64/NGC)

If there’s a franchise that’s had a couple rough entries then it’s Mario Party, the franchise mostly known as Nintendo’s friendship destroyer.

Based on the reception of Super Mario Party, it looks like current developer NDCube and Nintendo listened to the fans when it comes to gameplay. But the content in that installment is minuscule, to the point that people have begged for DLC.

It’s been over two years since the first Mario Party on Switch was released. Why not throw those fans a bone by porting over the games that made the series popular in the first place?

Paper Mario 64

Mario Party is not the only Mario spin-off with a bit of an identity crisis. With the first game celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, why not throw the old school fans a bone? 

Pokemon Colusseum + Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness (Nintendo Gamecube)

Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness are two spin-offs that were released on Nintendo Gamecube. Instead of focusing on “becoming the very best”, you play as someone who goes against an evil organization that experiments on Pokemon. In order to progress, you need to steal the bad guys’ Pokemon and reverse the experiment. It would be a “breath of fresh air” for the franchise if The Pokemon Company gave these games a second life. With XD: Gale of Darkness being a direct sequel to Colosseum, I feel they should be bundled together.

Kid Icarus Uprising (Nintendo 3DS)

If you search the dictionary for “Underappreciated Videogames,” Kid Icarus Uprising is the very definition. While there are easy arguments that it needed a revamp of the controls, the game is still a delightful experience.

Not only did Masahiro Sakurai (best known for the Super Smash Brothers series) create solid gameplay that casual and hardcore fans can pick up, but the game offers endless possibilities to approach each level, which are mostly split between flying rail shooter and hybrid third-person shooter/hack n slash segments.

The game is filled with colorful characters, 4th wall-breaking humor (to the point that the game doesn’t have one), and a rather dark story, all without feeling like a mishmash. Calling this game quotable would be an understatement. Sakurai has said he doesn’t want to make a sequel, and that’s perfectly fine and understandable. But more people need to experience what is arguably an underappreciated masterpiece.

Latest posts by Isak Wolff (see all)

Co-host of the Amateur Otaku Podcast. A writer of many things. Loves everything nerdy from anime/manga to comics and video games. Fire Emblem is the greatest of all time.