The Nintendo NX obsession is strong right now among many vocal Nintendo fans online. You can't get far in comments on Nintendo's social media posts / YouTube videos without encountering lots of "where's NX" posts; as the days tick by the anticipation for the eventual reveal only builds in intensity.

It's hard not to think about Nintendo's next-gen platform, even if concrete indisputable 'facts' are few in number. Ultimately we know the NX will aim to "change the concept" of home console and handheld gaming, and it'll have enough control options / flexibility to support games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Just Dance 2017 and the next 'main' Sonic game. Any of you that think it's a button-free dancing robot are off-base, we're afraid to say.

With that limited but guaranteed knowledge in mind, we can fantasize about some of the games we want to see. It's safe to say there'll be the likes of 2D and 3D Mario games, Mario Kart, Smash Bros. and so on, but we thought we'd pick five franchises that we feel are due a comeback or, perhaps, a second chance. In fact, two of the five IPs we've picked have had games this year, but they were arguably not the games fans demanded; seemingly with modest sales to reflect that reality.

So, here are five franchises that deserve a chance to shine on NX, all for rather different reasons.

Metroid Prime IV.jpg

Metroid Prime or 2D Metroid

Hold the phone, some of you are saying, we just had Metroid Prime: Federation Force on 3DS. We sure did, and this writer thinks it's a decent game when taken by its own merits, and there are a number that feel the same way. Yet it also has fierce critics, among those that own it and some that don't, due to its spin-off nature, the fact it's on 3DS, that it isn't a true continuation of the beloved Retro Studios trilogy, and other reasons besides.

So this is a 'second chance' entry, ultimately. There's talk that Retro Studios could be working on a 'new IP', but only time will tell on that. Besides, it doesn't have to be about who makes the game, but what kind of experience it offers. A primarily solo adventure with a return to the Trilogy's visual style and gameplay approach would be a good start - many naturally want to be Samus once again, too.

We don't expect this one soon, frankly. Unless Retro Studios or someone else has been secretly working on the true number 4 as a surprise early NX title to follow the Federation Force or Corruption story, we could be looking at a 2-3 year wait at least. That's if Nintendo gives the series another chance, or interprets seemingly awful sales for Federation Force as a bad sign and puts it on the scrapheap.

We're also very open to an official 2D Metroid, maybe even one with a retro approach and visual style. The enthusiasm for fan effort AM2R - and the disappointment when it was shutdown by Nintendo - shows there's still an appetite for the classic format.

Kid Icarus.jpg

Kid Icarus

A franchise that had an excellent release (in this writer's opinion) on 3DS, and is well-placed to appeal to gamers of various types - with the right approach. The most divisive aspect of Kid Icarus: Uprising was its controls, so an alternative solution would be needed to strip away that area of contention.

Moving beyond that control scheme, Uprising was packed full of great ideas and content that could move seamlessly into a fresh adventure. Masahiro Sakurai's Sora team (and the localisation crews in Western territories) did a fantastic job of creating an engaging, witty cast of characters. It's a real looker on 3DS, too, with impressive landscapes, stages and high tempo battles. A continuation of the separate 'land' and 'ground' battles could still be in place with a more accessible control scheme, and even beyond the lengthy campaign it was bursting with energy and lovely touches. Collectibles, challenges, online multiplayer and more fleshed it out.

It was a game crafted with a lot of love, and also made the IP perfect fodder for spin-off commercial opportunities - Uprising was accompanied by a mini-series of animated shorts. It's been over four years since the 3DS entry with no serious talk of another; perhaps it can return in the NX generation.

A key question will revolve around Masahiro Sakurai, and whether Nintendo feels the IP has commercial potential. Reputable sources earlier in the year suggested there could be a form of Super Smash Bros. on the NX in its early days, but that could (if true) be a 'Director's Cut' of the Wii U / 3DS versions with all DLC in one package. We don't know what Sakurai-san is working on or how long a break he needs after his exertions of the past few years, but we'd love for him to repeat his Kid Icarus / Smash Bros. development cycle in the next generation, or for Nintendo to utilise his talents as a consultant for another team that does the bulk of the work. He did say years ago that he doesn't want to lead development on a sequel, but plans and feelings change over time.

Star Fox.jpg

Star Fox

This may look strange as, like Metroid Prime, it had a game this year on Wii U - Star Fox Zero. Though the fan blowback wasn't quite so harsh as with Federation Force, nevertheless Zero had some similar issues. It didn't push the IP far in terms of moving it forward in terms of story, but was hugely experimental in its usage of the GamePad. It was divisive and split critics and fans alike, and arrived far too late as part of the GamePad rescue project that had begun in early 2014; the Wii U was already past the point of salvation when it arrived to showcase the concept this year, and some fans of the series rejected it. Like most Wii U games released in the past 9-12 months, it had bad timing.

On the one hand the odds of ever seeing a Star Fox game again could be long, if sales of Zero underwhelmed as seems to be the case; it's a franchise that - through Nintendo's experimentation and perhaps mismanagement over the past few generations - has suffered from declining sales. Left-field spin-offs, disappointing releases and well-meaning remasters have struggled to bring sustained success.

Zero, it can be argued, had some nice ideas in terms of stages, with some that incorporated the Walker, Landmaster and Gyrowing in fun ways, albeit often briefly. Perhaps a strategy for Project Save Fox could be to recreate the Zero storyline but with tweaks to support a more conventional control setup, perhaps as a budget download title, and then continue and expand on the story in a bigger, grander adventure in a 'full' retail game later on. Zero stages and enemies would need to be re-designed for more conventional aiming, but that wouldn't necessarily be a hugely onerous task.

We're dreaming, of course, but hopefully Shigeru Miyamoto's own passion for the IP (and the fact Nintendo liked it enough to fund animated short 'The Battle Begins') will keep the series on the board for potential projects in the big N's Kyoto HQ. Zero had good intentions but was a victim to circumstances; the series deserves another opportunity to shine.

WarioWare.jpg

WarioWare

One of the safer bets, perhaps, though relevant as the series arguably skipped this generation entirely. Game & Wario on Wii U wasn't really an entry in this series, different in tone and coming off as a collection of minigame concepts that were simply given the Wario name. What we're referring to is the chaotic, quickfire insanity that the real WarioWare games offer.

Whatever the NX concept, WarioWare offers an ideal opportunity for a showcase game that works well as a solo or party experience. As those with DS and Wii entries will recall it's an IP that can take advantage of a system's control options, utilising touch, motion and buttons in imaginative ways. Fast-paced zaniness also seems like a real selling point in this age of social media, GIFs and memes. It offers a chance for Nintendo to show its edgier / wacky brand of fun.

On top of that, it's a franchise with history in user creation, so allowing players to easily create and share their own minigames would give this one a lot of life, not to mention make it popular in online communities. Even if it wouldn't necessarily be a blockbuster hit in sales, it could generate plenty of buzz and foster a dedicated group of fans.

F-Zero.jpg

F-Zero

Ah, here it is, the inevitable entry in the 'games we want' article. It feels like such a longshot considering there's been no game in the series since the GameCube era, but let's clutch at straws - there was a minigame honouring the series in Nintendo Land, and the IP featured prominently in the Mario Kart 8 DLC. There were also discussions between Nintendo and Criterion about bringing a game to the Wii U before the console launched, but the talks didn't get far.

Will the series actually return? On the plus side there are those aforementioned examples, and Nintendo has been supportive of Shin'en Multimedia's FAST Racing NEO, which is naturally very different in its way but also makes some reminisce over the Nintendo franchise.

If the series is still to make a return our instinct is that it could be in a smaller form, perhaps as a modestly-sized download exclusive. Nintendo has been burned by underperforming retail titles for less-familiar franchises in the past few years, but it's not outwith reality to suggest that some projects could be produced on a smaller scale with lower costs to test the waters. Perhaps a successful eShop F-Zero could help revive the series.

Ultimately, this one does feel more hopeful than based in reality. Nintendo may feel that a bit of referential Mario Kart DLC is far less hassle, after all.

Of course, there are many more Nintendo franchises that are due a comeback or second chance, albeit we opted for some better-known and (arguably) feasible brands. In our own chat in the team the N64 addicts among us brought up longshots like Wave Race and 1080° Snowboarding, and even Pilotwings came up (despite its modest 3DS launch title). This writer's sure there are also many long-lost RPG franchises with roots in the NES and SNES eras that can be mentioned in the comments, too.

In any case, which of these five in our list would you most like to see in the next few years on NX?

Which of these franchises do you most hope to see on Nintendo's NX?

As always hit us up with your own thoughts and lists in the comments. We see little harm in dreaming of the perfect game library for NX, even if the reality's unlikely to be exactly what we all have in mind.