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

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5) Wave Race


Last Title: Wave Race: Blue Storm (GameCube, 2001)

Though there hasn’t been an official release since Blue Storm, fans did get some watercraft fun in Wii Sports Resort, so at least it can be assumed Nintendo isn’t averse to jet skis still making an appearance on its consoles. Wave Race actually made its debut on Game Boy as an overhead racer similar to Rare’s R.C. Pro-Am. The series really made a splash (a pun!) when it landed on Nintendo 64 with the seminal Wave Race 64. Wave Race is about racing around courses while piloting jet skis and maneuvering past alternating red and yellow buoys in the correct order. The two console iterations of Wave Race were notable for their uncanny water physics and vibrant, realistic graphics. While Wave Race doesn’t scream for attention the way some other Nintendo titles do, it’s a rock-solid racing game that is notable for being one of the more grounded and accessible of the company’s franchises.

The smartest way to bring this series back is to draw from its best installment. While Blue Storm was fun, Nintendo has yet to top what it did with Wave Race 64. The Nintendo 64 classic was a more energetic and creative game than its GameCube successor, with memorable races between behemoth cargo ships and past tropical paradises. A return to the unforgiving physics and fun of that game would be the perfect way to land the franchise on the map. Embrace the horsepower of Wii U and bring fans some incredible water effects, stunning environments lush with detail (day/night cycles, meaningful weather variety), a killer soundtrack, and perhaps an even more robust and rewarding in-race trick system, and this is a series waiting to explode. Plus, Nintendo just has to bring back the N64 announcer– don’t even try to argue.

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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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