Nintendo Wii U Games That I'd Like to See Receive a Switch Port

A few weeks after the announcement of Nintendo's most successful video game console to date, the Switch, its predecessor, the Wii U, had officially been discontinued just a few months short of its fifth anniversary. Like the GameCube last decade, the Wii U was a console that had an impressive lineup of exclusives, but was short-lived due to, among other reasons, a lack of sufficient third-party support.

Thankfully, Nintendo seems to be aware of how beloved the Wii U's original lineup is. Some games have been ported to the Switch with additional features, such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a port of the Wii U's Mario Kart 8 with DLC pre-included; and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, with a new mode that allows you to play as Funky Kong. Other games are getting full on new games that retain the spirit of the originals, such as Splatoon 2, which plays a lot like its predecessor with several new features; and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a follow up to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U that retains everyone from that game's roster and brings back several dearly missed veterans from previous installments as well as some fresh new faces, such as Splatoon's Inklings and Simon Belmont from Konami's Castlevania series. In fact, in the September 13 Nintendo Direct, a Switch port of New Super Mario Bros. U was announced.

With all this new life Nintendo is giving to the Wii U's library, there are still a few that I would love to see receive the same treatment.

'Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE'

In 2013, Nintendo teased a project that was a crossover of sorts between their hit strategy RPG series Fire Emblem, and Atlus's turn based RPG series Shin Megami Tensei. Two years later it was revealed to be Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, a game in the vein of the popular SMT sub-series Persona. Despite the fact the game lacked an English dub track, it was a hit among fans of both series for the battle system, anime aesthetic with colorful visuals, J-Pop charged idol singer themes, and an imaginative take on the Fire Emblem series' characters. Many critics even praised the game as one of the best titles on the Wii U. If the game were to receive a straight up port with no additional content, or with the Wii U version's DLC pre-loaded onto it, I would be fine with it.

'The Wonderful 101'

"The alien invasion of earth will be met by a group of fearless warriors that number just 100 souls. One hundred wonderful defenders of our world... their faces are forever masked, their tombs are forever unknown. They are... The Wonderful 101. I knew we forgot someone... you."

From Hideki Kamiya, producer of popular games like Devil May Cry, Okami, Viewtiful Joe, and Bayonetta, comes a fast-paced, over-the-top, and insanely fun and unique action adventure game that keeps players on their toes. The player controls a single superhero that can recruit more heroes as the game progresses and can use "Unite Morph" forms to solve puzzles, defeat opponents, and progress in the level. Unite Morph is triggered by drawing the appropriate symbol on either the Wii U's game pad, or by the right analog stick. A Switch port may remove the drawing on screen functionality, but the Switch Joy-Con's gyroscope functions may make up for that.

'Fatal Frame V: Maiden Of Black Water'

If you enjoy Japanese style horror like Ju-On and The Ring, you'll love Fatal Frame. The game series originated on the PlayStation 2 in 2002, but was claimed by Nintendo in the early 2010s, and a remake of the second game was released for the Nintendo Wii in every region except North America. There was also Fatal Frame IV, which was Japan exclusive. But in 2015, the series made a return worldwide with V.

The gameplay is the same as the games before it; a paranormal investigator explores an abandoned Japanese village and comes face to face with vengeful spirits of the dead, who can only be exorcised via the Camera Obscura, an artifact that works like an old film camera with banishing properties. The Wii U's gamepad offers a new layer to gameplay, in which players raise the Game Pad to the TV to use the Camera Obscura and time their shutter clicks to damage the ghosts. A Switch port could keep the feature when in TV mode, and add a simplified gameplay for portable mode. The game was eShop only in the US and had the first chapter free, with a fee to unlock the rest of the chapters, but I wouldn't mind paying full price to get all the chapters available off the bat. While less likely, a Fatal Frame HD collection with the unreleased-in-America Crimson Butterfly remake and a translated remaster of IV in addition to V would be great, too.

'Xenoblade Chronicles X'

Without a doubt, Xenoblade Chronicles X has to be my #1 favorite game on the Wii U, ever. I played the original Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii, and I fell in love with it. The battle system, though it took a while to get used to it, was very intuitive; the characters were well-written and engaging, and the story more so; and the vast world was a blast to explore. X took it up to 11 with an even bigger world; battle system that flowed better and offered a new layer of strategy; the new Skell element that allows players to pilot a giant mech suit for travel and battle; a class system with different skills and arts to offer; and a new battle mechanic that lets you defeat enemies bit by bit by destroying certain appendages like a dinosaur's tail or spider's egg sac, which may prevent said enemies from using certain techniques. I also loved the soundtrack with its high-energy rock tunes and an ominous track when you're in an area close to a very challenging enemy, and appropriate tracks for cutscenes that fit the cutscene's mood. The story captivated me too: after Earth is destroyed following a large scale intergalactic war with Earth in its crossfire, the survivors are forced to set up their new home on the game's planet, Mira, and colonize and survive while fending off alien threats.

With the next game in the series, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for Switch, all but done with all its DLC released, including DLC-exclusive Blades and a new expansion story, Monolith has expressed interest in porting the game to Switch. If they do, I would love to also see more elements of the story fleshed out, and some more of Mira's lore explored.