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Nintendo's latest gaming device, the Switch, is all the rage these days. Its portable nature makes it an excellent option for quick pick-up-and-play sessions. It's also the Japanese publisher's best-selling home console yet, dwarfing everything else on that front, except the Wii.
No one talks about the Switch's predecessor these days, the ill-fated Wii U. The 2012 home console with a touchscreen controller was a great idea on paper. However, Nintendo's shortcomings, like lackluster hardware and poor marketing, doomed it to failure. The games side of things was, thankfully, a different thing.
Nintendo Wii U possesses modest yet appealing library of games
Despite severely lacking in tech compared to the PS4/XB1, the Wii U had numerous high-quality titles. While many have seen remasters to the Switch, none have seen a brand new entry.
Here are five such titles that should get Nintendo Switch sequels:
1) Xenoblade Chronicles X
Nintendo's Xenoblade series of open-world RPGs are cult classics. They boast majestic and massive open worlds, larger-than-life enemies, gripping narratives, and engaging combat. So far, nearly all Xenoblade titles have appeared on the Switch, including a remaster of the original Wii game.
The only installment missing is the Wii U entry. Released in 2015 as a non-numbered entry, it is a sci-fi adventure on the surface of Planet Mira. After a war breaks out between two alien races, Earth is caught in the crossroads and is ultimately destroyed.
Humanity escapes and crashlands onto Mira, eventually forming New Los Angeles (NLA). This also results in a search for survivors, including the protagonist, awakened from a lifepod.
Eventually, he becomes part of BLADE, NLA's special team dedicated to protecting the community and uncovering the secrets of Mira. Combat is a similar auto-attack system to previous games, but the game introduces Skells to explore the planet's harsh terrain.
These are giant Mechs that can be piloted and even fought in against the game's massive monsters. Nintendo fans have been requesting this one, so if not a successor, a port will suffice.
2) Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
It is no secret that for many gamers, Nintendo's name is synonymous with family-friendly games and practices. As such, not many are aware that they are also the co-owners of Koei Tecmo's underrated survival horror series Fatal Frame. The latest entry was announced for the Wii U in 2014.
Called Maiden of Black Water, it was one of the few titles to utilize the Wii U Gamepad innovatively by using it as a camera. It follows the tale of three protagonists who find themselves brought together by a single subject: Hikami Mountain, infamous for suicides and supernatural activity.
To deal with the hostile spirits of the forests, Yuri Kozukata, Miu Hinasaki, and Ren Hojo must utilize the Camera Obscura (a magical camera that can hurt ghosts by clicking their pictures).
The series has been a cult classic since the PS2 days. Besides the Switch, Maiden of Black Water even got a surprise port to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox (with Nintendo's blessing, no less).
This would guarantee extra revenue for Koei Tecmo, and perhaps they might make Fatal Frame 6 in the future.
3) Devil's Third
With a big name like Tomonobu Itagaki on board, Devil's Third was a much-anticipated project. Surely, the involvement of the mastermind behind Ninja Gaiden Black would ensure a modern masterpiece that's a must-buy for Nintendo's overlooked console? Unfortunately not.
Devil's Third was Valhalla Game Studios' first project for the Wii U. It is a combination of a third-person hack & slash and first-person shooter.
A war breaks out with the fall of satellites, and Russian protagonist Ivan must fight his way through the chaos. It's a great concept, but the end product fell way short of even basic standards.
Reviewers criticized everything: the mediocre visuals, forgettable plot, shallow melee, lackluster gunplay, bland design, microtransactions-laden multiplayer, etc.
It was a bad game by all accounts, although the multiplayer was praised, especially the standalone PC edition. So why does it deserve a revival? Simply because it has potential.
Itagaki may have failed miserably back in 2015, but maybe he can do better in the future, perhaps with a larger budget and resources. After the closure of Valhalla, he went on to create his own studio and owns the rights to the Devil's Third IP. So, Devil's Third 2, when?
4) Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
ATLUS and Nintendo have had a good relationship for a while. The former is renowned for the Persona games, part of the Megami Tensei franchise. It is this partnership that led to the SMT x FE collaboration, first revealed in 2013. It was supposed to be a crossover between two worlds.
One was Shin Megami Tensei, where demons freely roamed a post-apocalyptic world. The other was Nintendo's Fire Emblem strategy RPGs, which have always been about war and its harsh consequences.
The end product was entirely different — Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, an RPG fueled by J-pop performances and colorful visuals. It's about saving the world from otherworldly beings called Mirages, aiming to steal energy known as Performa from humans in modern-day Tokyo.
As part of a talent agency, the player Itsuki must band together a team with their own friendly Mirages, who resemble Fire Emblem characters and take down evil. Ultimately, it is a Megami Tensei game, especially with turn-based combat, exploration, and skills straight out of SMT.
There's not much Fire Emblem DNA here, save for the weapons triangle system. Despite the initial underwhelming reception, the game has been successful enough and also has a Switch version.
Perhaps ATLUS and Nintendo can do more with this new universe? Or finally, give fans an actual SMT x FE?
5) ZombiU
Since its inception, French developer Ubisoft has dabbled in many genres, from platformers and open-world action games to stealth and sports games. But did you know they made a survival horror game too?
Cue Zombi U, a Wii U launch title inspired by Resident Evil and Condemned: Criminal Origins.
Being a first-person zombie game might sound generic, but the concept isn't. It takes place in a London overrun by zombies, and it is a survivor title.
Players are tasked by a mysterious entity called the Prepper to help them out and search for a cure to the virus turning people into the undead. Interestingly, there is no defined player character. Upon death, players take over another random survivor in the city.
Perhaps that's where Ubisoft took the idea for Watch Dogs Legion's random protagonists, another game that takes place in England.
The Wii U version has exclusive features like inventory management and scanning on the Gamepad screen or the horde mode allowing users to control zombies. Due to obvious limitations, these do not exist in the PC, PlayStation, and Xbox versions.
The game was supposed to get a successor but was ultimately canceled because the original game was a flop. With the popularity of Nintendo's Switch, perhaps they might find success one last time?
Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.
