Something has occurred to me in recent years.
I, like many other fans, would like to see a return of ‘key’ Nintendo franchises that have remained dormant for a number of years, these particular games are Pilotwings, Star Fox (though not dormant, has been subject to poor iterations) and F-Zero.
With Metroid also very much in need of a new instalment, which has recently began development from scratch, there’s one thing that I believe these games would benefit from and that would be very well suited to their genres.
I’m referring to virtual reality.
With Nintendo pursuing this area of game development a little more vigilantly, although cautiously, could it be that these titles return alongside a new pillar in Nintendo’s portfolio?
Metroid may be a stretch but sit-down racers and flight games seem a no-brainer for the implementation of VR for such franchises as these.
Pilotwings would be a beautifully calming and therapeutic approach and Star Fox would, of course, be the polar opposite featuring all-out assault and dogfights, looking left and right and seeing your wingmen before striking an attack would be something to behold.
As for F-Zero, with Mario Kart (not the poor mobile version, which I uninstalled after my first victory) adopting anti-gravity dynamics and remaining a fan favourite I can’t see F-Zero ever being as popular as it has been in the current form it employs, Nintendo have said F-Zero would return if an idea fit the need for it.
Well, here’s an idea Nintendo, you’re welcome to it.
All we need now is a little Inbox Magic and a lot of luck.
Bad Edit
GC: The problem with all three of those games is that the primary appeal of the initial entries were their state-of-the-art graphics, and without that angle we don’t see any of them returning to prominence. In that sense VR versions would be an interesting idea, but beyond the novelty of Nintendo Labo the Switch has nowhere near the horsepower required and Nintendo seem highly unlikely to want to try and sell a £250-odd peripheral.
