4 Nintendo Franchises That Need to Be Rebooted on Switch 2

Nintendo is known for its impressive franchises. Think of the most iconic franchises in all of gaming, and plenty of them are from Nintendo. Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and Animal Crossing are all among the pantheon of greats, and they all came from one brand. For the most part, they’re all still going strong today or will have more games in the near future.

There are some that are unfortunately forgotten, though. Not every Nintendo franchise continues to see the light of day. Some are on the way back, like Metroid, for example. Others are seemingly forgotten to the annals of history, and that should not be the case. Here are some more-than-deserving candidates for a reboot on the Nintendo Switch 2.

4. Yoshi’s Island

Yoshi’s Island was an absolutely brilliant spinoff of the main Mario series, taking the Mario brothers back to childhood and leaving them in the hands (or on the back) of a very capable Yoshi. It remains 2D platforming at its absolute finest, even 30 years after it was initially released.

There was a misguided sequel attempted for the Nintendo DS, but it failed to land. Either way, the franchise has been largely dormant since then. Yoshi himself has not been, but the series hasn’t had a legitimate new entry since the DS title in 2006. It has been quiet for a long time, and that’s a mistake.

Not only is Yoshi a very popular character, but the original game remains beloved to this day. A return to the franchise and a new entry that further tells the childhood of our beloved plumbers and their green dinosaur would be more than welcome any time now.

3. Star Fox

Star Fox’s last outing wasn’t that long ago, as Star Fox Zero came out on the Nintendo Wii U in 2016. However, that was as big a misfire as the brand has had perhaps ever. The controls were ripped to shreds, and the storyline was criticized for rehashing story beats that previous games had already explored.

For that reason and the simple fact that there’s been just the one, maligned game since 2006, there should be another entry to the Star Fox saga. Far too many Nintendo gamers know the character only from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and this is a chance to bring it back and give it a proper game. The Switch 2’s upgraded power could be a breath of fresh air for the series, too.

2. F-Zero

In a similar sense, F-Zero deserves a comeback. The last new release in the formerly iconic franchise was on the Game Boy Advance, which is older than some of Nintendo’s player base today. Most probably haven’t even heard of this franchise, as it’s pretty much been a total afterthought since the mid-2000s.

They have heard of Captain Falcon, though, thanks to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. And just like Fox, it is high time the series from which one of Smash’s best characters comes was reinserted into the public eye.

The one thing standing in the way of this is that it’s primarily been a racing franchise, and Mario Kart is currently dominating that track. Even Diddy Kong Racing has been left behind, but the F-Zero IP needs to be brought back one way or another. Maybe it’s a reboot that changes the gameplay, or it could be Nintendo’s version of Forza, a more open-ended driving game.

1. Wii Games

The Wii series, which includes incredible titles like Wii Sports Resort and Wii Party, needs to be revived on the Switch 2. Of course, it wouldn’t technically be Wii anymore. Additionally, Nintendo Switch Sports was an attempt to bring Wii Sports to the current console, which didn’t work out very well. That shouldn’t deter the brand from at least trying again with something like it.

There’s clearly a market for the Nintendo-branded party games that don’t include the iconic characters. Mario Party Jamboree is awesome, but it doesn’t get much better than playing Board Game Island on Wii Party. And there’s an overall lack of sports titles on the Switch consoles, which this would remedy. Also, the reboot of this franchise would make Miis relevant again, which would probably not be a bad thing for Nintendo.

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