7 Wii U to Switch Ports That We Need In 2019

The success of Nintendo’s videogame consoles have very little to do with the quality of the games that are released on said console. Nintendo are regarded as one of the most prestigious videogame publishers in the world, and for good reason.

Super Mario Bros. The Legend of Zelda. Animal Crossing. Super Smash Bros. Donkey Kong. Pokémon. The list of intellectual properties at Nintendo’s disposal is astounding and the striking consistency of the unwavering quality of these titles is something that simply isn’t replicated by another publisher in the market. Despite this, Nintendo consoles are either revered or snubbed with very little predictability. The Switch, for example, is an absolute home run for the company and confidently stands toe-to-toe with Sony and Microsoft’s counterparts.

The Wii U did not fare as well upon release in 2012. Quite simply,, the successor to the Wii could not live up to the former’s lofty sales figures. Third-party support was virtually non-existent and the games console found itself with very few games to play. In 21 months, the Switch has managed to sell 10 million more units than its predecessor could muster in four years.

Nintendo have recognised that while the Wii U didn’t reach as many gamers as they would have liked, the Switch’s triumph is an opportunity to introduce older titles to a new market. Successes such as Bayonetta 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, as well as the upcoming release of New Super Mario Bros. U, have shown that titles from the cobwebbed catalogue of Wii U games have legs on the Switch.

However, the Wii U has more diamonds in the rough that would be well suited on the newer console. Below are seven Wii U to Switch ports we need as soon as possible.

7. Super Mario 3D World

Sure Super Mario Odyssey is a thing – a glorious, marvellous thing. It brought Mario into striking HD and introduced sprawling playgrounds for our moustached hero to run, jump and throw his cap around in. It took the idea of larger stages from games such as Super Mario 64 and jammed them to the rim with moons for the player to gather in their quest to rescue Princess Peach.However, the Wii U’s 3D Mario title, Super Mario 3D World is a different game altogether. Rather than focussing on a select few stages, 3D World boasts a total of 93 unique levels to conquer, and some of them are the most creative stages seen in all of Mario history. It also features incredible multiplayer, taking the four-person madness of the New Super Mario Bros. titles into the third dimension. With the heightened focus on multiplayer on the Switch, there’s no denying that Super Mario 3D World would excel on the hybrid console.

Also, Super Mario Odyssey didn’t let you play as Peach, Luigi, Toad or Rosalina, which is an undeniable plus. Luigi’s longer reach, Peach’s ability to hover in the air, Toad’s scramble and Rosalina’s double-jump adds depth to the gameplay and provides multiple ways to traverse each stage. And that’s not even mentioning the Super Bell power-up, which allows Mario and his pals to turn into felines. Think Tanooki suit but better. The cat suit is one of Mario’s most satisfying power-ups of all time and it demands another showing, even if it is just in a port.

Let’s face it, who doesn’t want more Mario platforming action on the go?

6. Wii Fit U

Okay, so it probably couldn’t be called Wii Fit U anymore, but think about it – has Nintendo ever had a better console to put out a fitness game for? The Joy-Cons that accompany the Switch would be perfect for performing the exercises within. The Wii U version encouraged the player to utilise the GamePad when playing, and since the Switch has fully embraced the handheld features that the GamePad introduced, it would be the perfect fit for a port.
The portability of the Switch would also allow for greater opportunities to exercise anywhere – literally. Between moving easily around different rooms in the house to taking the Switch to the park for a quick outdoor workout, it breathes new life into a potentially outdated format. Nintendo could even consider releasing a mobile app to sync the data to the Switch for even more portability.

Those that only began their Nintendo gaming experience on the Switch will likely have experienced the Wii Fit trainers in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, making it a marketable product as well. Imagine new Switch Fit trainers being introduced as DLC characters for the fighter? The internet might not survive.

Actually Nintendo could just make Switch Fit. Anything for more of that feeling of exercising while playing videogames will do.

5. Yoshi’s Woolly World

Yoshi’s Crafty World was delayed until spring of 2019 for the Switch, meaning that there is plenty of time for Nintendo to upgrade the green dragon’s last solo adventure. Yoshi’s Woolly World is a 2D side-scroller, following Yoshi after he has been turned into a bundle of yarn by evil Magikoopa Kamek under instruction from Baby Bowser.

The visual aesthetics alone justify a rethreading of this game on the Switch. An extremely unique artistic style, featuring all characters and worlds as knitted yarn, would shine on the newer hardware. It feels like a true sequel to the critically acclaimed Yoshi’s Island on the SNES and that alone makes it a must-play. A game for children and adults alike, Woolly World would be perfect to increase the hype for Crafty World later in the year. Come on Nintendo, it just makes so much sense.

4. Pikmin 3

Pikmin is a hard franchise to describe to people that haven’t seen or played it before. You control a tiny hero named Captain Olimar – yeah, he’s that guy that you’ve seen in Smash with the cool spacesuit – who is trying to save his planet from starvation by collecting fruit with help from his Pikmin.

Critics absolutely adored the third instalment in the series, stating that it brilliantly utilised puzzle and strategy elements from the original two titles and elevated this even further with creative flair. The photorealistic terrain and environments add to the overall charm of the game, and will undoubtedly bring joy to any player. It might not be a mainstream, household name like some of Nintendo’s other franchises, but don’t underestimate the fan-base that it has.

Heck, give us a Pikmin HD Collection with all three of the titles wrapped into one and whack it onto the Switch ahead of Pikmin 4. Because we’re getting Pikmin 4, right Miyamoto? Right?

3. The Wonderful 101

PlatinumGames, the developer of Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengance, don’t know how to make a bad game, and The Wonderful 101 is another example of this. This action-adventure title has the player controlling superheroes (aka the hottest property in the world at present) from an isometric point-of-view during a war between Earth and evil alien invaders.

The game focussed heavily on sketching shapes on the GamePad to perform special moves to lay the smackdown on alien foes, but this could translate easily to the Switch’s tablet mode. The original game also featured the ability to use the analogue stick to perform these moves, so it does not eliminate the possibility to play the game in TV mode also.
PlatinumGames have built up a strong relationship with Nintendo ever since Nintendo provided funding for Bayonetta 2 to be released, and have themselves admitted that they would love for the title to be ported to the Switch. We can only hope and pray alongside them that Nintendo will hear our cries and release this as soon as possible.

It doesn’t look like we’re getting The Wonderful 102 any time soon (unfortunately), so this might be the closest we will get to have another chance to slip into spandex and dish out a walloping. Also, Wonder-Red for Smash Ultimate pretty please.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD

Other than Mario, The Legend of Zelda may be the most beloved series that Nintendo has created. No two entries in the series ever feel like a copy of another, with each having a unique twist or gameplay mechanic that makes it stand out from everything else on the market, even its predecessors.

 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an absolute juggernaut on the Switch. Receiving perfect scores from nearly every videogame outlet in the market, Link’s latest adventure has brought many new fans to the series. It would be silly, then, for Nintendo not to capitalise on this by porting The Wind Waker HD from the Wii U.

The cell-shaded graphics, originally debuted in the GameCube version in 2002, looked incredible on the Wii U and would look even better on the Switch. The improvements made in the Wii U remaster, including the changes to the Triforce Quest, all made this the must-play version of Wind Waker and to imprison this release on the Wii U store would be a major injustice to all of the hard work put into this re-release. Time for Nintendo to let down the sails once again and set us free on the Great Sea.

1. Super Mario Maker

For years, everyone had dreamed about making their own Super Mario levels. Fan-made games made the rounds online and it became very clear that content creators had some brilliant (and sadistic) ideas for creating them.

Considered by many to be the best title on the Wii U library, Super Mario Maker allowed everyone to pretend to be Shigeru Miyamoto and come up with ingenious stages for the titular plumber to traverse. It also didn’t get a chance to live up to its full potential due to limitations in the Wii U’s functionality, and the 3DS port did not add anything new to the game to combat these issues.

A large chunk of the fun to be had with the game lay in the creation of levels that could then be shared, downloaded and played by friends and strangers alike. The Wii U’s online capabilities were sketchy at best and the ability to share on the 3DS was disappointingly limited. Despite this, the potential was indisputable. Nintendo have come a long way with their online features in recent titles on the Switch, and although far from perfect, would be a much better stage for a thriving community to be established.

While Nintendo may have decided to work on Super Mario Maker 2 instead, releasing additional creative tools and visual styles not present in the original title, there is no doubt that the original Super Mario Maker could and should live on for years to come on the Switch. It’s almost a no-brainer.

Of course, these are just a sample of the games released on the Wii U. Are there any other games that you feel Nintendo should polish up and release on the Switch? Let us know in the comments.