Since the Switch’s initial release, a few games have trickled in here and there that are either ports or remasters of games that existed on previous consoles. Early ports includePokkén Tournament,Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, andMario Kart 8. Now, three classic Mario games have found their way to the Switch under the bundle titleSuper Mario 3D All Stars.
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With this new release, speculation is once again running wild over what else might be one day remastered or ported to the Switch. Nintendo has a rich history of games that are prime candidates for the remaster treatment, so here are just a few that would be great.
10F-Zero
It’s been almost two decades since the last installment in theF-Zeroseries,but Captain Falcon’s presence inSmashhas kept his titles relevant to this day. Also keepingF-Zero’slegacy alive is fans, who have been begging Nintendo for a new game in the series for years.
While there is no clear sign that a newF-Zerogame is on the horizon, it has multiple older games that could receive a remaster.F-Zero GXis considered by many to be the perfect game, so it’s probably the best choice to remaster.
9Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Paper Mariohas easily become one of the most contentious seriesin Nintendo’s library. After the second installment,The Thousand-Year Door, the series went in a different direction with the Wii title,Super Paper Mario.
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Since then, each entry has drawn more and more ire from fans, many of whom wish Nintendo would return to the original style of the first two games. However, that doesn’t seem likely going forward. Perhaps a remaster of what’s consider the best entry in the series,The Thousand-Year Door, would satisfy.
8Pokémon Colosseum
A severely underrated entry in the Pokémon series inPokémon Colosseum. This RPG was released 17 years ago on the GameCube and tasked the player with recovering Shadow Pokémon from the evil Team Cipher to purify their hearts. It was followed up by 2005’sPokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, which was a direct sequel.
These games still hold up today, though they do look and feel a bit dated, especially since about 500 new Pokémon have since been introduced. It would be amazing to see these games remastered.
7Pokémon Crystal
ColosseumandGale of Darknessaren’t the only Pokémon games worthy of a remaster, though.With the release ofLet’s Go Pikachu & Let’s Go Eevee, it was clear that Nintendo has an interest in remastering classic Pokémon games.
Since these two were based onPokémon Yellow, the de facto sequel ofRed & Blue, it’s only natural that a remaster ofCrystal,the followup to Generation II’sGold & Silver,could be just as successful.
6Kirby Air Ride
There is no shortage of modernKirbygames in all different formats, includingthe recently-announcedKirby Fighters 2.But, this series has a wealth of classic titles that would be great for a remaster.
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One of them is actually a different format than Kirby typically sees:Kirby Air Ride.This game is widely-loved by fans and frequently called “underrated.” Released in 2003 for the GameCube,Air Rideis essentially a simple racing game. But, fans loved it despite mixed critical reception.
5Ice Climber
When Pit was added to the Smash Bros. roster, it was a bit obvious that his series,Kid Icarus, needed an update. As a result, Nintendo introduced a new entry in the series,Kid Icarus: Uprising— the first entry into the franchise in twenty years.
However, sitting dejectedly in the corner without the same treatment are the Ice Climbers. Nana and Popo form one playable fighter, originating inIce Climberfrom 1985. Their “series” — if it can be called that — hasn’t had a new installment since the first one. How great would it be for them to receive the same treatment as Pit with a new game?
4Kid Icarus: Uprising
Speaking ofKid Icarus, it’sactually due for a remaster itself.But, it need not be the originalKid Icarusgame, in all its 8-Bit glory. The newer game,Kid Icarus: Uprisingfor the 3DS was very well-received by fans.
The game could be great for a Switch remaster, if not an entire sequel. It’s unclear if the series will see future installments, but many fans would be happy with whatever they could get.
3Earthbound/Mother
There are few games thathave received more cries for a remakeor new series entry thanEarthbound(also calledMother). The last entryinto this series was Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance in 2006. Since then, many fans have begged for remakes or a new entry, but the series creator said Mother 4 is “impossible.”
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However, rumours circled earlier this year that a Switch port of one of the games may be coming. Whether or not this will ever happen is up for debate, but many would be happy to see it.
2Metroid Prime Trilogy
At E3 2017, Nintendo announced thatMetroid 4was being developed for the Switch. However, the gamehas seen some delaysand currently has no official release date. While fans wait for a new entry, though, a remaster could be the perfect solution for impatience.
TheMetroidgames are so iconic that they have an entire genre named after them (Metroidvania, a combination ofMetroidandCastlevania), and have long been extremely-well-received by critics. A remaster of any of the series' entries would probably be incredibly successful, with many hoping for aPrime Trilogyport.
1Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
There are too many options forZeldaremasters to go over in their entirety, from a remaster ofSkyward Swordto the always-desired ports to any given console ofOcarina of TimeandMajora’s Mask.
However, there is another option that isn’t brought up nearly as often, but is arguably more deserving: theOraclegames.Oracle of SeasonsandOracle of Ages, released for the Game Boy Color in 2001, are amazing games that are some of the most severely underrated and underappreciated in the entire Nintendo library.
With theimmensely-successful remake ofLink’s Awakening,it’s clear that a full remaster of classic Zelda games can be extremely successful.Ocarina,Majora’s Mask,and other Zelda games have already been remade or given sequels, and theOraclegames are just sitting there, ripe for the picking.
