Summary
TheNintendo Switchhas had a good life since it debuted in 2017. Thanks toThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildand a unique concept for a console portable hybrid, the gaming public ate it up. It wouldn’t be long before the outcries of “Put it on Switch!” could be heard throughout podcasts and message boards alike.
Nintendo supported it well throughout the years with new IP, returning classic franchises, and ports. There never seemed to be a dull moment on the Switch. However, as vigorous as Nintendo was with their games on Switch, they could not touch every franchise. These long-forgotten series never graced the console with new games beyond retro uploads, if anything.
TheEarthBoundseries, orMotheras it is known in Japan, began in 1989. While the first game on NES was planned to come out in the West, the prototype was shelved until it was eventually released asEarthBound Beginningsin 2015. So, the first actual release Westerners got wasEarthBoundin 1995 for the SNES.
Tragically, the sequel, which came out on the Game Boy Advance in 2006, hasn’t come out in the West either. It’s hard to say whether fans wouldwantMother 3officially translated or a new game but either way, Nintendo should consider revisiting the franchise.
Golden Sunhas beenlost for agessince the last game came out on DS. It all began in 2001 with the GBA and it would see a sequel soon after. Then there was a long wait until the aforementioned third and final entry launched in 2010 on DS.
The captivating things that fans loved about this series were the mix of traditional turn-based mechanics and inventive puzzle-solving through various psychic powers. The developer, Camelot, is still in business and pretty much just makes sports games starring Mario for Nintendo.
This third entry is also part of the “three-game cycle and you’re done” club.Kid Icarusbegan on the NES and was alight, more vertical Metroidvania. Soon after there was a Game Boy sequel and then things went dark for decades.
Kid Icarus: Uprisinglaunched on the 3DS in 2012, was received well despite cramped control issues, and yet that spelled the end for the hero Pit. At the very least Nintendo could remaster that game and give it proper controls if a sequel is out of the question.
Mario’s sports careeris almost as numerous as his platforming saga. In the baseball realm, things started in 2005 withMario Superstar Baseballon the GameCube. It would not be long untilMario Super Sluggershit the Wii in 2008.
Now, technically there have been more baseball games after this but there hasn’t been a solo sequel, especially on Switch. For example,Mario Sports Superstarswas a 2017 3DS game that included baseball along with a handful of other sports like golf and football.
Punch-Out!!, unlike most franchises on here, did have more titles than two or three. The series began in 1984 with not one, but two entries in arcades. Eventually, the series would move onto consoles with the first being in 1987 for the NES. It got a sequel on the SNES in 1994 and then a final release for the Wii in 2009.
Now,Ring Fit Adventuretook the world by storm in 2019 but it wasn’t tied to any known franchise at the time. It would have made sense to make that a training game for Little Mac, the star in most entries, but maybe that’s where the series can go after this. Nintendo can revive two franchises on the Switch 2.
Star Foxis the biggest franchise on here that Nintendo seemingly abandoned the last console generation. Fast-forwarding through many sequels, the final release was in 2016 for the Wii U,Star Fox Zero.
However, one can argue thatStar Fox 2was the last game in 2017. Originally this was going to be asequel on the SNESbut it was scrapped close to completion. Nintendo revived it to be put on their mini SNES console, which then also came to the Switch’s retro catalog.
StarTropicsamazingly never left the console it debuted on. The original game was released on the NES in 1990 and a sequel would follow in 1994. It’s hard to say why this series never left the NES as they were received well at the time.
They were a cross between an RPG and a more island-centered adventure akin toThe Legend of Zelda. Out of all these lost Nintendo franchises, a sequel to this announced in 2024 for the Switch 2 would blow people’s minds.
Wario, as a character, first hit the scene in 1992 as the core villain inMario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. He then took over Mario’s Game Boy series in 1994 with the clumsily namedWario Land: Super Mario Land 3. There would be two more games on the Game Boy followed by asolo GBA gamein 2001.
The last actual entry wasWario Land: Shake Itin 2008 for the Wii. Wario’s other franchise,WarioWare, has appeared on the Switch twice, making fans all the sadder knowing thatWario Landhas been dead for two console generations.
