Top 5 Most Wanted Game for 3DS and Vita

by Dr_Worm on Apr 25th, 2014

Nintendo’s 3DS had a fantastic year in 2013, with a new Luigi’s Mansion, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, both Mario RPG franchises, and especially Zelda. Its library continues to grow strong in 2014, but there are still some games I would love to see on Nintendo’s current handheld platform, and these are my top 5:

#5 – Virtual Boy Wario Land

The Virtual Boy’s history might just be more relevant today than it was when it was on the market, with analogs to both the 3DS’s visuals, and the Wii U’s presence in the console race – personally I don’t agree with the comparison, but that doesn’t mean one hasn’t been made. Arguably the best game in its 13-game library was Wario Land, a 3D edition of the Game Boy game calling itself Super Mario Land 3, which involved traversing levels in both the foreground and background. So with the 3DS around, and not many Virtual Boys, why not do a remake? As long as it’s not a straight port, no one wants to stare at a red screen all day. In the meantime, check out Mutant Mudds for a similar experience.

#4 – A 3D platformer

For some reason the 3DS reminds me a lot of the N64. Maybe it’s the ports of N64 natives Ocarina of Time, Star Fox 64 and Rayman 2; or it could be the limited graphics compared to its competitors; it might even be the singular analog stick. Whatever the reason, the N64 had some awesome 3D platformers, and the 3DS could just be the niche system for the genre to make a comeback. Not to mention the 3D capability would look pretty good. Yeah, we already have Mario 3D Land and the aforementioned Rayman 2, but I would love to see a more open-world platformer like Banjo-Kazooie. Concerned about the lack of a second stick? Who needs one? Super Mario 64 DS had touch screen camera controls that worked great. Nintendo has lots of IPs to work with, but I wouldn’t complain about a port of Super Mario Sunshine.

#3 – Another Pokemon Trading Card Game Game

Come on, Nintendo, don’t let the Yu-Gi-Oh team have the trading card game video game market all to themselves. The Pokemon TCG is actually one of the better games of its kind out there, and has been running since 1996, possibly making it the longest running TCG outside of Magic: The Gathering (don’t take my word for it, there are a lot of TCGs out there). I believe a trading card game would work well for the 3DS – having custom sets, giving the game its own contained balance, being able to easily play with others nearby or online, utilizing Street Pass to swap cards with strangers, or Spot Pass to get promo cards. To be honest, I would much rather see Magic in this format, but I feel Pokemon is much more likely.

#2 – Pikmin

I’ll be honest, the biggest reason I want a handheld version of Pikmin is because of the graphics. Due to the game’s setting, bigger objects based on real objects look more realistic, and I think having Pikmin the actual size of Pikmin would benefit that aesthetic. The only problem would be the resolution, I could imagine looking at Pikmin that are two or three pixels high getting arduous. The game’s day-to-day flow and pacing would just be a bonus at that point, fitting right in with the 3DS’s library.

#1 – Metroid Prime

Do I even need to go into detail with this one? First person shooter + 3D graphics = awesome. It’s as simple as that. There was a handheld Metroid Prime before, Metroid Prime: Hunters, which was relatively successful when it came to sales despite its squarely average critical reception, but I think we could use another one. I don’t care whether it’s a direct sequel to Hunters, a port of the Gamecube original, or something new entirely, I think any Metroid Prime would kill on the Threeds.

 

 

The Playstation Vita hasn’t had as much success as the 3DS, but that does not mean it doesn’t have potential. It’s cearly the superior system when it comes to hardware specs, with a much higher resolution screen and more powerful graphics processing. There are a lot of games I want to see on the Vita, and I have a top 5 for it as well:

#5 – Twisted Metal

This is how you can tell it’s my personal list, because I’m one of probably a few hundred would love to see Twisted Metal hit the Vita. Twisted Metal fans don’t even get Head On, the PSP edition of the series, to play on the Vita as with many other digitally downloaded PSP games. Unfortunately, the PS3 reboot attempt didn’t prove fruitful for Sony, so another Twisted Metal seems unlikely. Still, I’d love to kill hapless online vehicular competitors without having to even get out of bed.

#4 – A Call of Duty that doesn’t suck

 

I know what you’re probably thinking; “What Call of Duty doesn’t suck?” The reason I’m putting COD on this list is kind of the opposite of why I put Twisted Metal on it at #5. Twisted Metal is an awesome game the just wouldn’t succeed, whereas COD is a not-so-awesome game that has potential to be more popular than Jesus. I’m well aware of the series’ repetitious nature, but the Vita is a system with potential that I really want to see succeed. Call of Duty is probably the most popular gaming franchise of the last decade (sorry, Halo), and Call of Duty should attract consumers. It’s unfortunate, though, that Black Ops Declassified completely bombed, making a follow-up more unlikely. However, COD isn’t the only franchise that would attract consumers and move systems.

#3 – Portal 2

 

Portal 2 made it to the PS3 famously by including a Steam key for the PC version, as well as the two platforms being cross-compatible for co-op play. If Borderlands 2 can fit on the Vita, Portal 2 would be easy-peasy to port, and would ideally include cross-play with the PS3 version (but I wouldn’t have my hopes up for PSV to PC compatibility). Portal’s basic control scheme means you don’t have to fiddle with much to adapt it to the Vita – no touching the screen to reload anything or throw grenades or whatever, it would just play natively. It would be even better if it included the level editor. Just saying.

#2 – Grand Theft Auto

The Vita isn’t Sony’s first handheld with struggles reaching the market. The PSP needed a puch and a shove as well, and it got that with Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, a half-port/half-new-game in the series. It featured the virtually identical setting of GTA 3 in the palms of your hand, but with a brand new story taking place years prior. Liberty City Stories gave the PSP a reason for the mass market to buy it, and it pushed many PSPs during the holiday 2005 season. You can play Liberty City Stories and the Vice City equivalent on the Vita, but it’s just the PSP version, upscaled and outmoded. I believe a new, unique GTA would do well for the platform.

#1 – The Elder Scrolls

Did you know there was going to be a version of Oblivion for the PSP? There were rumored Amazon release dates and everything, and the game was even in production, but it didn’t seem to get far. If Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty can’t push Vita sales, then The Elder Scrolls would. Bethesda even has a special “Travels” subtitle for their handheld/mobile games (and yes, there really do exist mobile Elder Scrolls games). Similar to GTA, The Elder Scrolls is known for its vast landscapes and open-world gameplay. If you can squeeze GTA 3 and Vice City onto a handheld – hell, if you can squeeze Borderlands 2 on a handheld – I would love to see an Elder Scrolls, preferrably in a new setting (of which Tamriel has several). Make The Elder Scrolls Travels: Summerset happen, Bethesda, you and I both want it.

Categories: Top 5 Lists