What Nintendo standard game did you feel was missing from each of the console generations for Nintendo? The SG team responds! Let us know what you think in the comments below!
SNES – Duck Hunt
The NES saw a lot of IPs for Nintendo that have seldom, if ever been revisited since that time. Most notably however, is Duck Hunt. The major successes of the NES era such as Zelda, Mario, Metroid and Donkey Kong have seen fairly consistent releases throughout each console generation (with the odd exception). The SNES Zapper could have really benefitted from a game the caliber of Duck Hunt, which had sold 28 million copies on the NES.
N64 – Metroid
The Nintendo 64 library was absolutely stacked. It remains to this day my personal go to when thinking of the greatest console library of all time. It still surprises me that Metroid did not make itself heard on the Nintendo 64.
Gamecube – Donkey Kong (Country)
While Donkey Kong did see titles released on the Gamecube, they were really more spin offs and party games. Considering that Donkey Kong games were among the best selling, and most popular games on the NES, SNES and N64 I’ve always felt that when looking at the Gamecube library, there’s a rather large Donkey Kong sized hole.
Wii – Star Fox
Since its debut on the SNES, Star Fox has become one of Nintendo’s key franchises. After some questionable titles (specifically Command) the series had waned and subsequently didn’t manage to get a game released on the Wii. Thankfully all has been rectified and Star Fox is going to come back as it should on the Wii U!
Wii U – A 3D Mario title.
I know that there are unfortunately few people out there who agree with me on this, but I personally feel like the Wii U’s library is pretty damn awesome. We’ve seen most of the major Nintendo IPs hit, such as Mario, DK, Yoshi, Zelda, Kirby (etc), as well as lesser ones like Xenoblade. Pikmin even made its return after sitting out the Wii (my runner up choice for missing title on Wii). We’ve even got impending releases for Pokemon and Star Fox. What I really think is missing above all else is specifically a 3D Mario game along the lines of Mario 64, Mario Sunshine and Mario Galaxy.
N64 – Metroid
Only notable content from the series was Samus in Smash 64; granted, this skip was probably for the better since no devs at the time believed they had the talent to one-up Super Metroid.
N64 – Metroid
Metroid was noticeably missing from the N64 line up. I cannot think of a bigger IP from Nintendo that was missing.
GameCube: Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! would later come back for the Wii, but it totally skipped the Gamecube. I think the Gamecube had a great line-up, but Punch-Out!! could’ve improved it.
Wii: F-Zero
After mastering (well, kind of…) F-Zero GX I eagerly awaited the next installment. …and waited and waited…I really miss the rock music.
Wii U: Waverace
Just to mix things up, I’ll go with Waverace. Waverace’s last game, Waverace: Blue Storm left a major impression on me (Especially the sarcastic announcer). Where is the new one?
SNES: Duck Hunt
N64: Kid Icarus
Gamecube: Pilotwings
Wii: Star Fox
Wii U: F-Zero
N64: Mother
Mother 3 was planned to be on the N64DD anyways, so it’s oddly missing here. I sometimes wonder how well the gameplay would’ve translated into 3D.
GameCube: Ice Climber
Revived in Melee, so why is there no Ice Climber game on the GameCube? Maybe a 3D platformer? I feel like a reboot could have a lot of potential.
Wii: Kid Icarus
Also planned for the Wii, but dropped for the 3DS version. Motion-controls could be used pretty creatively.
Wii U: Wario Land
Nintendo seems to ignore the existence of Wario Land. No matter where you look. It just seems like they completely forgot what Wario is about: Treasure hunting and puzzles. Not micro-games and fart-jokes. So please Nintendo, the last Wario Land game was released on the Wii.
and 
Wii U: Melee HD
NX: Melee HD
While Connor and I are being a bit facetious with this answer, Melee HD would both be freaking awesome and a move that makes sense for Nintendo. The purpose of every game is to make money, and that goes for “esports” as well. Nearly every game with a substantial competitive following is in part buoyed by financial support from the developers, studio, or publisher– and judging by the continued support these games receive, they seem to be worthwhile investments, establishing the game as a platform for continued revenue. This is true for almost every game– except for Melee (and UMvC3). A simple HD re-release of the game would actually allow Nintendo to benefit from competitive Melee in ways other than simple publicity, establish the game as a “platform” for future profits via DLC, and maybe in even throw in functional online. Frankly, any other company but Nintendo would have jumped on this a long time ago– if Capcom was willing to release HD versions of 3rd Strike, Darkstalkers 3, and Turbo with the fanbases those games had, they would have pulled the trigger on Melee HD by now.
SNES:
N64: Fire Emblem – The N64 had plenty of memorable games, but the system always lacked RPGs. Outside of Paper Mario and the ill fated Quest 64, there wern’t many RPGs on the system. So Fire Emblem would have been a great fit for the system, assuming the game would have come out in the west.
Gamecube: A 2D Mario – In truth, the same could be said for the N64, but 2D Marios have been sorely lacking. Since the release of New Super Mario Bros., the games have been extremely successful, indicating that people have been waiting for a new 2D Mario for a long time. The Wii and DS release were well overdue and there should have been one on the Gamecube.
Wii: Star Fox – Star Fox was a series that had done well for itself with the SNES and N64 titles doing well. There was demand from fans for the series to return to its flying and dogfighting roots. Then, Nintendo unveiled the Wii Remote Plus, a device that improved the motion controls of the Wii Remote. So why not bring Star Fox to use this new device? However, it never came to be. Although Nintendo promoted and promised more expansive experiences for the device, the only games they released were Wii Sports Resort and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Although the Wii was successful, the lack of great motion control games was always a detriment, perhaps leading to its declining sales in 2010.
Wii U: F-Zero – With the Wii U, Nintendo, for whatever reason, focused more on core gamers in lieu of the expanded audience it built up with the Wii and 3DS. The system struggled as a result, but part of that is due to lapses in software. If Nintendo wanted to appeal to the core audience, then why not have F-Zero on the Wii U? The game would be perfect with its improved specs and online play. However, for whatever reason, it was absent.
SNES: Kid Icarus: One seems to have been in development as hinted at by Nintendo Power however it never came out. If it had maybe Kid Icarus could have been a major Nintendo IP like Zelda or Metroid, which both saw some of their best games on the SNES.
N64: Metroid: arguably Nintendo’s biggest franchise that skipped out this generation. A Metroid on the Nintendo 64 would have been the first 3D Metroid and would have been an interesting look at how a 3D Metroid could work. It most likely would not have affected Metroid Prime but could have changed the way Other M played, which was Sakamoto’s first 3D Metroid game.
GameCube: Pilotwings: After seeing Tamaki’s latest video on the planned Pilotwings game for GameCube I kind of wish it had come out. I was never a big fan of the series, only playing it for the first time on 3DS, but the ideas behind Factor 5’s game looked really cool.
Wii: Mario Golf: I am still baffled that this never happened. The system that launched with Wii Sports that showed how a basic Mario Golf & Tennis game could work never ended up getting its own. The only reason I don’t include Mario Tennis as well as Golf is that the former got a port of its GameCube title for the Wii so it technically got a Mario Tennis title.
Wii U: F-Zero for the SNES was made to show off the power of the consoles Mode 7 chip and it worked really well. Since then, the F-Zero series has often pushed its system to the limit and become a fan-favourite Nintendo IP. With all this in mind, I am very surprised that Nintendo’s first jump into the HD market did not come with an accompanying F-Zero game. If any series could show off the graphical power of the Wii U it was F-Zero. Thankfully we have Fast Racing Neo to fill in this obvious hole in the Wii U library.
SNES: Kid Icarus. It’s hard to really figure out how Kid Icarus would have worked in an alternate universe where a reboot like Uprising wasn’t needed, but it’s a surprising omission from the SNES. Kid Icarus was one of the big NES games, and in that context it’s hard to imagine Nintendo just abandoning the property.
N64: Fire Emblem. This could have been a lot of choices, as the N64 could have used a number of titles. But to me Fire Emblem was the most important, though not for the series itself. The Nintendo 64 had many of the first 3D platformers, and it had a litany of sports and racing games. But it really suffered in its RPGs and deeper adventure games, with Square having left for the PlayStation. A serious, tactics-minded turn-based strategy would have filled that void nicely.
GameCube: The Mysterious Murasame Castle. A game with a Japanese setting, with a heavy emphasis on action, and roots in the Legend of Zelda should have been perfect for this period in gaming history. The influence and popularity of Japanese games was close to their peak, as were frenetic action titles like Dynasty Warriors (Murasame hero Takamaru eventually had a cameo in its spinoff series Samurai Warriors) and God of War. Murasame could have differentiated itself, though, by emphasizing a more methodical style.
Wii: Mario Paint. While the “Wii Remote as paintbrush” was a pretty popular idea from the start, I think there might have been a much greater value in bringing back Mario Paint than a basic use of the console’s main feature. It was one of the first Nintendo franchises to have a really strong “Do It Yourself” element, with its music editor and litany of gimmicks. While something on the level of Mario Maker would never have worked with the Wii’s online features, something that allowed players to share musical and artistic work – maybe even alongside all new kinds of features? – could have been a less common way to use Internet options for games.
Wii U: Metroid. Regardless of how good or bad the game actually is on release, it’s clear that a large part, if not all, of the hatred for Metroid Prime: Federation Force comes from the fact that it’s the only Metroid game to come out since the reviled Other M. I don’t have a problem with an installment that mixes things up, but a new “Metroidvania” game – whether a sidescroller or FPS – would have mollified fans a great deal, as well as ride a recent wave of Metroid inspired games based around exploration.
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Great list, but isn’t Super Mario 3D World a Wii U “3D Mario” game?
Haha, you are right.
I think he was referring to a full on collect-a-thon style Mario game like Sunshine, 64, or Galaxy.
Err, but I now have the feeling you already knew that. XD
I think these lists covered the big ones I would have mentioned… one more series for me personally is Startropics. It’s a series that only lasted for two games released in 1990 and 1994, but it would still be great to see a new installment one day, as unlikely as it may be.
“Revived in Melee, so why is there no Ice Climber game on the GameCube? Maybe a 3D platformer? I feel like a reboot could have a lot of potential.”
Finally, someone else that wants to see it rebooted. I think a 3D game holds potential, maybe make it more Super Mario 64-ish.
Also, why Melee HD? A quick cash grab, really? It’s bad enough they are already getting greedy with Fates (another reason not to buy it), but let’s not encourage them. Besides, the Melee fans would probably still find something to complain about.
>melee HD
HOW ABOUT NO?
Speaking on the topic of Kid Icarus on the Wii, I honestly think that the controls for Kid Icarus: Uprising would have translated perfectly to a Wiimote and Nunchuck setup. You could move with the control stick, aim and turn the camera with the Wiimote, fire with the B button, use powers with the control pad, and swing the Wiimote for melee attacks. There may be a few controls I’m missing, but there’s still the C and Z buttons on the Nunchuck if I’m missing anything important (possibly a lock-on function?). I really hope Sakurai or anyone works on a new Kid Icarus game, since the series has a lot of potential in my eyes.
I honestly do not think Melee HD will be as good of an idea as people claim it will be. The majority of people who will buy Melee HD would be professional gamers, and to my (admittedly limited) knowledge, I think Smash mostly sells to the casual market. Plus, if it doesn’t play exactly the way Melee does with all its quirks and mechanics, it may just fall out in favor of classic Melee, which is still going strong. I doubt Sakurai would ever want to repackage the same game with fancier graphics and a few new characters and stages. Plus, a newer game brings with it the possibility of balance patches, which would shake up the metagame people have worked so hard to develop. Balance patches can typically be a good thing in competitive games, but it’ll end up not feeling the same as the Melee people already love.
A digital re-release of Melee would be enough for the competitive players in my opinion.