5 dormant Nintendo IPs that need a revival

Iconic developer Nintendo continues to cater to gamers across all demographics. For a company that's been in the video game business for over 40 years, they have a treasure trove of franchises.

From iconic household names like Mario and Legend of Zelda to relatively niche ones like StarFox and Rhythm Heaven, their legacy is vast.

However, some franchises have been long forgotten and remain untouched throughout the years. These cult classics have a surprising following among the fandom, with many clamoring for current-gen re-releases or installments.

So here are five long-lost Nintendo IPs that should make a comeback to Nintendo's modern lineup.

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Nintendo has several unused franchises that would make great additions to their modern lineup of games

5) Doshin the Giant

This N64 and GameCube exclusive "god simulation" game is one of the few instances where Nintendo's made something truly weird. Players control a cute giant, the titular Doshin, who helps out villagers of islands by setting up trees, helping with settlement expansion, taking care of environmental hazards, etc.

Being in the islanders' good graces grants hearts while hindering them grants hate - and maxing out either of them lets Doshin grow in size. The first release seemed a tad too ambitious for the Nintendo 64, featuring simplistic graphics and a choppy frame rate.

However, the GameCube version was a massive improvement and allowed it to realize its full potential. Since then, there has been no sign of the charming giant on any Nintendo platform, so a current-gen rendition should add some variety to the Switch's library.

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4) Disaster: Day of Crisis

Released exclusively for the Wii, Monolithsoft's 2008 action-adventure game is unlike Nintendo's usual escapades from their in-house studios. The Xenoblade Chronicles developer delivered a unique game centered around natural catastrophes.

Disaster puts you in the shoes of Raymond Bryce, a member of the International Rescue Team. The game occurs across several levels, featuring elements like exploration, gunfights, and survival.

Disaster: Day of Crisis was also a technical achievement for the Wii, featuring detailed environments and character models. It even makes use of motion capture for the cutscenes.

Nintendo doesn't have anything like this in their catalog for the Switch yet. Hence, this could make a great impression. It could even be Nintendo's own Uncharted, given Disaster's focus on action set-pieces, featuring exciting chases and a mature storyline.

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3) Sin & Punishment

Another franchise that debuted on the N64 is this sci-fi on-rails action. It was a game developed by none other than the masters of the shoot-em-up genre: Japanese game studio Treasure and collaboration with Nintendo's own internal teams.

The basic premise follows Saki and Airan on a journey to stop the berserk alien fauna attacking the futuristic rendition of Japan. Gameplay sees players control the character shoot down and melee enemies in fast-paced combat across several levels.

Given the developers' pedigree, the game is also challenging and features creative boss fights. Sin &Punishment saw a successor on the Wii in 2009 called Sin & Punishment: Star Successor that took place after the events of the first game. Perhaps it's time for another comeback?

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2) F-Zero

Ever since the last entry on the Gameboy Advance, the Big N's sci-fi racer has been on a hiatus for over a decade and a half now. In F-Zero, players participate in competitive races, controlling slick ships to blaze around tightly wound or looping tracks while moving at the speed of sound.

Backed by a kickass soundtrack and silky smooth 60 FPS frame rates, these games are known for being extremely unforgiving. Track memorization is critical here as things will often be moving too fast for your brain to keep up.

The most popular entry in the series, F-Zero GX for the GameCube, is fondly remembered as one of the console's most outstanding titles. And while the series may be buried deep underground for the foreseeable future, some neat alternatives might appeal to fans - like Shinen Multimedia's Fast RMX for the Switch.

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1) Earthbound

Also known as Mother in Japan, this cult-classic RPG franchise has had a long history between fans and Nintendo. After growing interest throughout the years, the former have been clamoring for a localized version of Gameboy Advance's Mother 3, released back in 2006 - to no avail.

But for those who don't know what it is about, the Earthbound series is renowned for being a black sheep in the traditional turn-based JRPG genre. While many JRPGs of its era were rooted in fantasy themes, Nintendo's offering follows a group of kids possessing psychic powers in a Saturday-morning-cartoon-style modern world.

Players fight odd monsters and meet hilarious NPCs across the game's campaign. Looking at the franchise's inclusion in the Wii U Virtual Console and Switch Online catalog, it's clear that the Japanese publisher is aware of the fan hype behind the series.

So what's stopping them from porting over Mother 3 or making a new entry? Only time will tell if these IPs get revived.