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If Nintendo decided to bring any of these older games forward to current-gen, it would likely be the same as printing money.

6 Nintendo Franchises With Games That Somehow Aren’t Switch Ports

If Nintendo decided to bring any of these older games forward to current-gen, it would likely be the same as printing money.
This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

A lot of the Nintendo franchises on this list are absolute no-brainers in terms of whether or not they should come to the Switch. If Nintendo decided to bring any of these older games forward to current-gen, it would likely be the same as printing money.

Fans are already clamoring for any bit of Direct news they can find that relates to Nintendo's first-party games. Just imagine what would happen if a port or remaster of anything on this list became a reality.

Read on to see six Nintendo franchises that need to come to the Switch ASAP.

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The Legend of Zelda

The 3D Zeldas should have some kind of presence on the Switch by now, if we're being honest. The Wii U Virtual Console had an amazing selection of Nintendo classics that included titles from the NES, N64, Game Boy Advance, and more. Numerous Zelda games were among them.

We're talking masterpieces like Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask here — neither of which have made it to the Switch in its three years of being on the market.

Fans would no doubt pay to play those again on the Switch in a heartbeat. Let's not forget Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword as well. The latter even caused a stir when a port was rumored to be in the works.


Super Mario Galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel are some of the very best Mario games of all time. It'd be hard to find any Nintendo fan that would be disappointed if both games returned on the Switch.

Just like The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Super Mario Galaxy was rumored to be on its way to the console. Though, it was thought to be coming as a remaster, instead of just a port.

The two-part series first began in 2007, with the sequel coming out three years later. It's been a while. However, the games' motion control features would fit perfectly with the Joy-Cons when playing at home, and who wouldn't want the option to play Super Mario Galaxy on the go, too? It's a no-brainer.


Metroid

Metroid Prime 4 has had quite the rough development process, but it's being worked on as we speak. The team is even still in the process of bringing in various new artists and leads. 

It's probably safe to assume that, by the time it does launch, it'll be the first 3D Metroid game that some players can get their hands on without having to buy an older console. If the Wii U's Metroid Prime Trilogy bundle comes to the Switch, that issue will be solved.

The games in the trilogy supported both standard controllers and motion controls at different points, so the transition to the Switch's Pro Controller and Joy-Cons should be a smooth one.

New players will be able to catch up while returning fans get a much-needed refresher leading up to Metroid Prime 4.


Fire Emblem

Currently, the only Fire Emblem games available on the Nintendo Switch are Fire Emblem Warriors, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses. For a franchise that includes over 15 games, spanning from 1990 to the present, that isn't much of a selection.

3DS titles such as Echoes, Awakening, and even the annoyingly disconnected Fates would feel right at home on the Switch thanks to their portable origins. It might be asking for too much, but a few Fire Emblem titles from the GBA could also be ported, just like they were on the Wii U. The GameCube installments seem too far out of the realm of possibility, though.

Regardless, the return Fire Emblem's tactical RPG action and loveable casts could create tons of new fans while still managing to please the current ones who just want to comfortably replay old favorites.


Pokemon

It's honestly shocking that none of the past mainline Pokemon games have made it to the Nintendo Switch, even as ports.

The 3DS Virtual Console added Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold and Silver, and Crystal not too long ago, so mainline Pokemon ports aren't out of the question.

Even if Nintendo only brought back generations III to VI, fans would go wild. It's guaranteed money at this point.

With the portable nature of the Switch, those Pokemon classics could still be played on the go, just like the good old days. Except, in theory, they'd be able to have better online functionality if brought back today.


Golden Sun

Surely, what Golden Sun fans want most is a sequel to the third game in the franchise. Sadly, that seems a bit unlikely at this point, even though fans haven't forgotten those games for even a second.

Golden Sun is an RPG series that started in 2001 on the Game Boy Advance. The second game came out the very next year on the very same handheld, while the third instalment launched on the DS in 2010.

The first two were made available on the Wii U, but it's time for all three to make their triumphant return on Nintendo Switch. If Nintendo started porting GBA and DS games to the Switch, they'd have an insane amount of classics to pull from.

Nintendo has so many beloved, older franchises tucked away, out of sight. It's time to bring the ones on this list, and so many others, back into the light. They've been slowly adding more games to the Switch's NES and SNES collection, but after three years, fans are looking for a bit more.

Which classic franchises would you like to see on the current-gen console? Let us know over on Twitter


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Author
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Ethan Anderson
Lover of RPGs and all things Zelda, Pokémon, or Tales related. Can usually be found either struggling/failing to get 100% completions, or praying for a Jak 4.