10 Classic Nintendo Games That NEED Switch Remakes
What other classics could follow Link’s Awakening to the joycons?
Nintendo Switch recently celebrated its 2nd birthday, and in many ways it’s a console which has propelled Nintendo back to the industry’s peak, arguably for the first time since the N64. In the meantime, we’ve had the GameCube, Wii and a GameBoy handheld that’s evolved too many times to count.
It’s a company which has always made great games, but still, the Switch has seen it go toe to toe with the big boys for the first time in a generation. A genuine competitor to the Xbox One and the PS4, though it can’t match those for graphics, a handful of phenomenal exclusives have seen it shoot up the charts.
Newer IPs like Splatoon and Octopath Traveller are doing well, while oldies Zelda, Mario and Pokémon draw in fans from elsewhere. Speaking of Zelda, the recent announcement of a Link’s Awakening remake has been met with fervour. Nintendo aren’t the money-grubbing sort, so you know this remake isn’t going to be a lazy cash grab.
While Nintendo is unlikely to go all ‘live action Disney’ and sweep through their old favourites to churn out remake after remake, there are a few gems in their roster that are worthy of love all over again.
10. Pokémon Stadium
Newer or younger Pokémon players might not really understand why Pokémon Stadium was such a big deal. Those who are used to the new battle styles of the handheld and raised on Pokken, Pokémon GO, Let’s Go! and a host of other 3D spinoffs might not realise that all those games owe a lot about their aesthetics to Pokémon Stadium.
Released in 1999, it gave us 3D battling with the original 151 years before such a thing could be found anywhere else. With no storyline to speak of, it ditched the gym badges/'become a Pokémon champion' aim of the main series games, and just challenged you to battle after battle (after battle).
Without the selling point of 3D and with both GO games filling any nostalgia void, you have to wonder if Stadium has its audience anymore. However, the game may yet have an ace up its sleeve in that regard.
As a break from the battles, a handful of mini games were offered. They weren’t much, but a remake could add more and crank things up. Come to think of it, with the dense roster, rich world and unique abilities, a Mario Party style game with Pokémon would fly off shelves.