Top Ten Nintendo Franchises That Need New Games

Last week's Nintendo 3DS-centric Nintendo Direct had a heavy focus on Mario titles. That is just fine because each Mario game was not in the same genre, and new things get added to each sequel. However, there are an abundance of Nintendo franchises that have not seen the light of day for quite a good while. While Mario constantly gets the attention, there are franchises that don't get even a mention. These are the series that we at SuperPhillip Central would like to see return to the limelight with a new installment either for Wii U or the 3DS.

10) Mole Mania

One of famed game designer Shigeru Miyamoto's lesser talked about projects was the great Game Boy game Mole Mania. The game centered on Muddy Mole's efforts to rescue his wife and child from the antagonistic farmer Jinbe. In the game, players controlled Muddy to push, pull, and toss a black ball from its starting point to a gate in order to reach the next screen. As a mole, Muddy could dig underground to reach otherwise impossible to get to areas. Right now Mole Mania is available on the Nintendo 3DS system's Virtual Console, but this would be a fantastic series to see a sequel on the Nintendo eShop.

9) Custom Robo

Collecting things is a fun hobby, and when you are collecting pieces to miniature robots that do battle till they no longer function, then your hobby's fun factor increases dramatically. That is the aim of Custom Robo, to collect robos, new pieces and parts, and compete in battles that take place in enclosed 3D arenas to determine who is the Custom Robo champion. There have been several installments in the Custom Robo series, but only two have been released in the West. The latest entry in the franchise hit the Nintendo DS in 2007 with Custom Robo Arena. The addicting collectible aspect and intense fights make for a series that needs to make a triumphant return.

8) Wii Sports

While the Wii Party and Wii Fit IPs have made the jump from the Wii to the Wii U, one series that has yet to is Wii Sports, the game that initially made the Wii so successful. A Wii U installment in the franchise is one that I believe would help the system out considerably in not only getting the console out to more people, but to show how well the Wii U GamePad (possibly in tandem with the Wii Remote Plus) works and that it serves an exciting purpose. There are several sports that could be enhanced via the GamePad, making for a surefire system seller.

7) Wave Race

Many people know the existence of Wave Race 64 and Wave Race: Blue Storm, releasing on the Nintendo 64 and GameCube respectively. Both games released early on in their corresponding consoles' lives. What a good sized amount of people don't know is that the original Wave Race released on the Game Boy way back in 1992. Nonetheless, each Wave Race game showed off the power of the platform it was on through creating realistic jetski and water physics. No doubt a new installment on the Wii U would turn heads and make for an entertaining racer, especially with some online play thrown in.

6) Golden Sun

While many gamers did not enjoy Camelot's third Golden Sun offering Dark Dawn-- released on the Nintendo DS-- as much as the Game Boy Advance installments, the third game in the often heralded handheld RPG series ended on a cliffhanger. I think it is fair to say that most Golden Sun fans are waiting feverishly for the cliffhanger's conclusion. Currently, Camelot is working on Mario Golf: World Tour for the Nintendo 3DS. No doubt that will be a good game, but after their work is complete, it would be nice to return to the world of Weyard again. Hopefully it won't take another six-year break for that to happen!

5) Advance Wars

War is a very serious matter, but the Advance Wars series turns around and makes it colorful and fun. Taking control of a Commanding Officer (or CO), players command an army of different units to defeat the other army, or to complete a given objective. The last mainline Advance Wars game came out in 2008 under the name Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. Considering the series's developer Intelligent Systems has just come off work on Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Crashmo, and Fire Emblem: Awakening, perhaps now would be a good opportunity to return to the lighter side of war with the Advance Wars series.

4) Star Fox

Fox McCloud and the gang saw a resurgence of interest with their 3DS remake of Star Fox 64. If a Star Fox game could focus more on what made that game so stellar rather than throw in superfluous mechanics that do little to evoke the same excitement of Star Fox 64, then any future installment would be all the more better for it. Don't get me wrong-- I liked Star Fox Adventures and Star Fox Assault for various reasons (Star Fox Command less so), but they do not hold a laser blaster to the king, Star Fox 64. No matter is we see Nintendo using the same engine of the 3DS remake or creating a new one for a Wii U sequel, it seems natural for Nintendo to return to their science fiction animal soap opera.

3) EarthBound/Mother

There have been three Mother games released, with only one of them ever reaching Western soil, known as EarthBound. Even with so few games on the market, the series is considered a cult classic. What made Mother so much a hit was the fact that it was quite unlike many other RPGs out there. Instead of portraying some fantasy land set in a mystical realm, Mother took place in a modern-day setting. Instead of featuring weapons like swords and axes, Mother brought with it yo-yos and snakes. Here's hoping a fourth game in the series becomes more than thought, and this time comes out for everyone to play and enjoy it.

2) F-Zero

After the phenomenal (but brutally difficult) F-Zero GX came out, two more F-Zero titles came out, but they released on the Game Boy Advance to little critical or financial acclaim. This put the series on hiatus to this day. I think today's 30 cent release of the original F-Zero on the Wii U could drum up some excitement for the series and show Nintendo that, yes, fans want to see a new installment to the series. Look at how sublime F-Zero GX still looks to this day, and now imagine what the increased horsepower of the Wii U could do for the franchise. Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my mouth. F-Zero GX is still the best futuristic racing game on the market in many gamers' eyes, and a sequel is still one of the most wanted games from Nintendo.

1) Metroid

Samus Aran and the Metroid franchise have seen better days. Many were disappointed with Metroid: Other M, but I rather enjoyed it. I couldn't have cared less about how the game "ruined the Samus character" or small annoyances. The sum of Other M's parts was quite good. That said, Nintendo has been mum on the future of the Metroid series. However, it would be a grand surprise to see a new 3D Metroid appear on the Wii U. Both the Prime trilogy and Other M showed off the power of their respective systems, so it seems smart to believe that a Wii U Metroid would no doubt do the same. More importantly, it would give the system a shooter of its own, and one that would be atypical of everything else out there. Despite her portrayal in Other M, I still think Samus Aran is a worthwhile character that needs to make her much anticipated return. She is woman, hear her roar.

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What slumbering Nintendo series do you want to make a return into the limelight? Post your own thoughts in the comments section below.