Since they came to the forefront of video games in the 1980s,Nintendohas had many franchises that have defined several genres. Starting with titles likeDonkey KongandMario Bros., Nintendo ruled the arcade before making video games accessible with consoles like the NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64, each of which contained many of their most famous series.
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These days, Nintendo has many successful franchises both old and new.PokemonandSuper Mario Bros.remain among the best-selling video game franchises of all time, while recent hits likeSplatoonandNintendogsrank high as well. However, these video games by Nintendo have little prospects as franchises after only one entry.
10StarTropics
Released in 1990 for the NES,StarTropicsis one of few Nintendo titles to never be released in Japan. It came from the same developer as the wildly popularPunch-Out!!series, centering on a 15-year-old little league player named Mike Jones searching for his uncle, who has gone missing after being abducted by aliens.
At the time,StarTropicsreceived critical acclaim but drew criticism for its similarities to earlyThe Legend of Zeldatitles. It received another North America-exclusive sequel in 1994 on the NES, but by this time the SNES was the more prominently supported console by Nintendo. As a result, it never caught on the way Nintendo’s other projects of the time did.
9Panel De Pon
Western audiences may not be familiar withPanel de Pon, which was released on the SNES in 1995 in Japan. For its Western release, the game was aesthetically changed from fantasy-based characters to featuring recurring enemies from theSuper Mario Bros.series instead. It was also retitledTetris Attack, despite having no relation to theTetrisseries itself.
The originalPanel de Ponlives on in Nintendo’s history, with the item known as Lip’s Stick being a recurring item in theSuper Smash Bros. franchise. It’s a shame, as todayNintendo has quite the lack of original puzzle titles, aside from digital-exclusive titles likeSnipperclipsandPushmo, or IP puzzle games likeCaptain Toad: Treasure TrackerandDr. Mario.
8Perfect Dark
Released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64,Perfect Darkwas developed by Rare, the same studio behindDonkey Kong 64andBanjo-Kazooie. Rare also developed the wildly popularGoldeneye 007, withPerfect Darkseen in-studio as a spiritual successor. However, it likely failed to catch onto audiences due to being an original property.
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Additionally, for players to access some ofPerfect Dark’s core features, like campaign mode, players had to separately purchase the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pack. This also probably made the series difficult to get into for solo players, ultimately stifling its potential as an ongoing shooter series by Nintendo, which was rectified withSplatoondebuting on the Wii U.
7Drill Dozer
WhenDrill Dozerwas released on GameBoy Advance in 2005, it was widely considered one of the best titles for its rare usage of rumble technology. The main character, Jill, was even featured as an Assist Trophy inSuper Smash Bros. Brawlin 2007, potentially securing the character a spot in Nintendo’s history, though that hasn’t come to pass.
In fact, aside from Virtual Console releases,Drill Dozerhasn’t even received a sequel, likely due to developer Game Freak’s heavy focus on thePokemonfranchise. Perhaps if it’s included in theNintendo Switch Online’s GameBoy Advance library, it can garner a second life from newer fans discovering its action platforming glory.
6Doshin The Giant
Doshin the Gianthad great potential as an ongoing Nintendo franchise, centering on an omnipotent sun personification, Doshin, aiding villagers and garnering their worship. It was originallyreleased for the Nintendo 64DDin 1999, before being ported to the GameCube in 2002 for Japanese and European markets, which highly praised the game.
However,Doshin the Giantnever received a North American release, which is quite odd given its critical and commercial success elsewhere. This is even more confusing considering the game incorporates a gameplay style that doesn’t necessarily require an understanding of foreign languages or numerals to become accustomed to.
5Elite Beat Agents
Compared to many other one-off Nintendo titles,Elite Beat Agentsis one that many Nintendo DS players clamor for a sequel. The rhythm game centers on a team of secret agents who solve various dilemmas through dancing to popular songs like “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, “Material Girl” by Madonna, or even modern hits like “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne.
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Given the game’s lacking sales at the time of its release, a sequel did not seem likely for Nintendo, despite a desire for it in-house. It’s possible that the game’s Western characteristics weren’t appealing to audiences in Japan, which likely contributed to the decision to not release it there, cutting off a major market for Nintendo’s core audience.
4Captain Rainbow
Captain Rainbow,released for the Nintendo Wiiin Japan in 2008, features many similarities toStarTropics. Most prominently, the game’s titular protagonist wields a yo-yo just like Mike Jones in the NES title, though Captain Rainbow’s design varies greatly. The game features the titular character venturing through worlds helping others achieve their dreams.
The catch toCaptain Rainbow, however, is that the people he helps are minor characters from Nintendo’s other properties, such as Birdo, Little Mac, and even Lip fromPanel de Pon. Due to being chock full of references to other Nintendo games, it’s possible this game struggled to stand on its own as an original IP with a potential franchise future.
3Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.
Developed by the same team behind some of Nintendo’s biggest hits, likePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year DoorandFire Emblem: Awakening,Code Name S.T.E.A.M.had lots of potential leading up to its release. The 3D strategy RPG featured figures of American culture and folklore in a steampunk setting, battling an army of alien invaders.
The game received moderate reviews upon release, and sold under 2,000 units in Japan, making it one of Nintendo’s biggest bombs in recent years. It’s quite a shame, given the series and its characters had a lot of potential. At the same time, a game centered on American history is quite a hard sell for audiences who aren’t in North America.
2The Wonderful 101
The Wonderful 101came to the Wii U from the same team who madeBayonetta, who has quickly etched herself into video game history. Sadly,The Wonderful 101didn’t meet the same fate, despite having an interesting concept: players control aPikmin-esque team of superheroes who group together like schools of fish to pull off seriously powerful attacks.
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The game received a lot of attention from Nintendo, being first revealed at E3 2012 and even having its own Nintendo Direct showcase prior to its release. It was even recently remastered for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC, though its disappointing sales from its initial release have stifled conversations about a potential sequel from Platinum Games anytime soon.
1ARMS
ARMSis a relatively recent release from Nintendo, only debuting in 2017 a few months after the launch of the Nintendo Switch. The fighting game makes great use of the Joycon controllers, as players control various fighters with long, extending arms. The game has even risen to become one of the best-selling titles on the Nintendo Switch.
Although a sequel or continuation forARMSis certainly not off the table, especially considering the addition of Min-Min inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateas DLC, it’s been quite a while since the game’s release. EvenSplatoon 3was recently released for Switchshortly afterSplatoon 2came out the same year asARMS, which many have forgotten about.
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