Top Ten: Forgotten Nintendo Franchises That Need Sequels

You don’t need an ocarina for this trip to the past!

By Robert Marrujo. Posted 10/15/2013 09:00 5 Comments     ShareThis

StarTropics Art

2) F-Zero


Last Title: F-Zero GP Legend (Game Boy Advance, 2004)

F-Zero GX usually comes to people’s minds as the most recent F-Zero game, which is technically true if only console releases are counted. This fun (though easy) GBA game is sadly actually the last time North Americans have had the pleasure of seeing Captain Falcon and company in action. F-Zero is a futuristic racing series known for blistering speed and pushing graphical boundaries. As opposed to cars, F-Zero is all about racing anti-gravity crafts around hazard-laden courses. Giant jumps, colorful characters, great music, and intense speed make F-Zero one of the most loved racing games on a Nintendo system or anywhere else.

Along with Balloon FightF-Zero‘s SNES  debut also came to the Wii U via the 30 cent sale and had an attraction in Nintendo Land, meaning it’s in the forefront of players’ minds and primed for a rebirth. With F-Zero GX as the framework, creating a Wii U sequel in HD, featuring online multiplayer, a course editor, and perhaps even a more robust, ambitious story mode could propel this series to the top. F-Zero would be a great entry point for so-called core and new gamers looking for a Nintendo title with an edgier tone. For everyone else, F-Zero’s absence has left a considerable void that has gone far too long unfilled. Super Mario and Zelda are great, but Nintendo has to produce more games like F-Zero to keep its offerings diverse.

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5 Responses to “Top Ten: Forgotten Nintendo Franchises That Need Sequels”

  • 180 points
    Anthony Vigna says...

    I can’t agree with you more on Advance Wars and F-Zero. I distinctly remember Days of Ruin ending on a cliff hanger, and it’s been far too long since the last Advance Wars entry. I also can’t help but feel that F-Zero is perfectly suited for the 3DS, which is currently in dire need of good racing games.

    I’d also add Star Fox to this list. Not only has it been a very long time since the last Star Fox game (excluding the 3DS remake), but there has yet to be a game in the series that matches the quality of the Nintendo 64 entry. They didn’t just remake Star Fox 64 for no reason…right? :o

    • 1291 points
      Robert Marrujo says...

      I was within inches of sticking Star Fox in. It’s ironic you mentioned the 3DS remake, because it was the main reason I excluded it; I guess it gave me too much hope when I played it that something would be coming eventually. I actually grappled back and forth over it a lot. I put Excitebike on here despite it getting a 3D remake, too, but I kept it on because it felt like such a minimal tweak. IDK =/

  • 285 points
    Kyle England says...

    I’d love to see a return to the Custom Robo series sometime. I only ever played the GameCube game that came out in America, but it was still interesting. It was really a good concept that suffered from some subpar execution. Think about Custom Robo on Wii U: Hundreds (if not thousands) of robot parts could be made available. You could duke it out in online HD robo battles! And the customization could mean millions of different robots!

  • 745 points
    OG75 says...

    Great list Robert. Couldn’t agree more with your choices.

    Hard to believe it’s been almost 10 years since we’ve had a new entry in the F-Zero franchise.

    You touched on a franchise near and dear to my heart: Excitebike. Everything about the original brings on a wave of nostalgia. The original is still fun, but I couldn’t agree more with your ideas about updating World Rally for the Wii U.

    I love that you included Waverace. I would love me some HD wave physics.

    Makes me wish they’d also update 1080, in the original style, not the trick based Gamecube sequel. The gamecube game was one of those rare Nintendo games that actually copied what every one else was doing at the time (making racing games all about tricks! Thank you very little Tony Hawk.) In my opinion, this made 1080 Avalanche inferior to the N64 original.

    Lastly, how about Forgotten Nintendo “Services” that need sequels (or updating.) I’m talking about the virtual console. It is a disgrace. Only 21(?) Nintendo 64 games on the North American Wii version, and ZERO N64 games on the Wii U eShop?! The virtual console just doesn’t live up to its potential. To me, the virtual console is defined by what games it doesn’t have, not what it does have.

    The reason I’m mentioning the virtual console here? Because your list made me wish I could play Excitebike 64 again. In my opinion, this was an underrated, and probably underplayed game which was also released (much like the wiiware title) at the wrong time… a little late in the N64’s lifecycle after years of almost constant racing game releases.

    Again, great list!

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