Top Ten: Third Party Franchises We Want on Wii U

Everything you’ve been wanting to play on a next-gen Nintendo console, but haven’t been able to.

By Bradly Halestorm. Posted 11/07/2012 14:00 6 Comments     ShareThis

Picture a universe where Nintendo has as many great third party titles as it does first. Now picture that this place, which I’ve deemed Nintendopia, as a flourishing kingdom with some of the biggest gaming blockbusters you’ve never gotten to experience on a little machine emblazoned with a Big N logo on it. Now, take a deep breath, and come back to reality– where none of this exists. It saddens me to think about the potential that each Nintendo console has shown, and the subsequent treatment it receives from the industry. Some of this is Nintendo’s own doing, but some of it is also conceived by misperceptions and judgments based on what Nintendo’s systems can and can’t do both currently and historically. Because of this, Nintendo has missed out on some the most noteworthy franchises in all of gaming over the years. For today, however, we take a look at a past that never was, but a future that could be.

With Wii U right around the corner, Nintendo is in an interesting position in which it could wipe the slate clean and offer fans games not otherwise found on its previous consoles. We’re already seeing this to be the case with some of its announced launch lineup, which includes various franchises that have never stepped foot in Big N waters. Iconic series bearing the titles of Assassin’s Creed and Batman Arkham City immediately come to mind, while other multiplatform games, which have received scaled down versions on past Nintendo consoles, will see full graphical and feature parody (barring Madden) on Wii U. Better yet, many of these titles will almost be launching simultaneously with their HD cousins.

There’s no doubt that for those who have never experienced these franchises, and/or those who have always wanted to play them on a Nintendo system, are excited. But what if this is a sign of great things to come? What if this means Nintendo is destined for even more game diversity? What if franchises like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, and Borderlands pop up on the Big N radar? Well that’s what today is all about: looking at the top ten third party franchises we’d play on Wii U.

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6 Responses to “Top Ten: Third Party Franchises We Want on Wii U”

  • 138 points
    MaStEr Of SaNdZ says...

    What about the Conduit? I know it had problems but, it could have a good chance to be alot better graphically and story-line wise if it was on Wii U or if the title was purchased by Nintendo and messed with by Retro

    • 156 points
      Bradly Halestorm says...

      I think the Conduit is a solid series, however, I wanted to focus on franchises that hadn’t really made an appearance on a Nintendo console ever, or at least for quite some time. Since Conduit was just last generation, I avoided it. It’s a great game, though!

      One game I wish I could’ve fit on there was the Souls series (Demon’s/Dark Souls). Now that’s a fantastic franchise that I think would really fit in line with Nintendo’s new focus on the “hardcore”. Talk about a game that is truly hardcore…

  • 285 points
    Kyle England says...

    Another writer here shares my love of Shenmue!!! I would love to see a Yakuza title on Wii U as well. Better yet… Nintendo should team up with Yu Suzuki and Sega to finally release Shenmue III on Wii U. This could also accompany HD re-releases of the first two games on Wii U with the ability to continue your save file. The possibilities… I’m almost crying.

    • 156 points
      Bradly Halestorm says...

      A fellow Yu Suzuki loyalist! There are far too many people who don’t know about Shenmue! I’m in the process of constructing an article idea for why I think Shenmue III belongs on Wii U. In the meantime, though, I agree whole heartedly with everything you said. I assume Sega is preparing a Shenmue HD release, however, as they’ve been slowly releasing their biggest titles on XBLA and PSN (Jet Grind Radio, Sonic Adventure, Virtual On, Daytona, etc.). So, I suspect Shenmue is coming. My hope is it’s released on the eShop.

  • 60 points
    Dustin Grissom says...

    So many issues with Borderlands would be fixed if all of the menu stuff was on the gamepad! It would seriously improve the game sooooo much.

  • 261 points
    JasonMaivia says...

    I would absolutely LOVE to see the Persona series come to Wii U. Persona 4 is my all-time favorite rpg ever. Persona 5 for Wii U?

    Third party games — I want them all. The Wii missed out on almost all good-quality 3rd party games. If Microsoft and Sony gamers gets something from third party companies, why not Nintendo gamers? There was no problem on NES, and there definately wasn’t any major problems with third party support on Super NES (N64 and Gamecube were largely ignored).
    It’s a shame that people moved away from Nintendo, but hopefully, we Nintendo console owners, especially those has just a Nintendo console, can be equally as excited and happy as the rest of the gaming world.

    Speaking of “world”, I’d love to see more come out of Japan. I’m not talking about your everyday action game or rpg. There’s far more, and they’re holding back so much, it’s not even funny. Nevermind the excuse about their games being “culturally different”…if games like Harvest Moon, 999, Phoenix Wright, and Persona can make it over (with pretty much all Japanese references intact), why not more?

    Niche titles have grown into popular fan favorites in past generations. I wish there were more (I’d love to have the Densha de Go/Railfan series in English).

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