The Best Nintendo Titles Primed for an HD Re-Release

The HD release of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker has been a welcome boon for the Wii U.

Since the HD title was given a new lighting engine, updated 1080p graphics, and expanded gameplay features, sales of the Wii U in the UK surged by more than 685%. The Wii U has put any doubts about its viability aside for the moment. As to whether it's capable of competing with the Xbox One and the PS4 on the merits of new IPs and ports of titles fans want to play remains to be seen.

One strategy Nintendo could employ is giving any number of titles the Wind Waker treatment. Beautiful games were in no short supply during the Wii/N64 era. It's unfortunate that most of them (Wii titles specifically) lacked HD support from Nintendo. A lot of gorgeous games ended up looking splotchy and muddy on a higher end HD TV. The Wii could have certainly gone title for title with the 360 and the PS3 in terms of artistic and stylistic merit, but with no HD support their titles weren't as strong as they could have been.

These titles are primed for an HD remake from Nintendo and we would love to see them on the Wii U.

RELATED: The 100 Best Nintendo Games From The Past

Year of release: 2006
Platform(s): Wii, GameCube

Sure, Windwaker may have just gotten the HD facelift we didn't even know we wanted and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is coming to a 3/2DS near you, but Twilight Princess would look so dope with newly polished edges. The game was gorgeous even when it wasn't receiving HD support, so just think about how sharp it would look in 1080p.

Year of release: 2006
Platform: Wii

While Other M was greeted with mixed reception by fans, The Metroid Prime Trilogy seems to be the last demarcation in the series that the majority of fans seem to be firmly still behind. Most of the criticism of Other M was pointed at the script and dialogue, both of which were thin, let's be honest, and the series felt like it hit a wall after M's release. Why not take one more step backwards and give The Metroid Prime Trilogy an HD re-release?

We can all agree that the Wii U could do with a massive increase H.P. Lovecraft. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was a wildly underrated horror title, which spanned thousands of years. Players were in control of a dozen people forced to cosmic demons and the fragility of your own psyche. The effectiveness of the title comes from the economic use of jump scares and the doubling down on psychological sleight of hand. Are the demons you're fighting real or imagined? Have you already gone mad? Is all of this in your head?

Year of release: 1994
Platform: SNES

With Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for the Wii U getting delayed to late 2014, why not give the venerable first entry in the series a much needed HD remake? The Wii's Donkey Kong Country Returns dropped in 2010, but we've still had to endure the better part of four years without a solo Donkey Kong console title.

Year of release: 1998
Platform: N64

If we're dreaming big, we might as well put this gem on the list. With the shuttering of Lucasarts, the complete disintegration of Factor 5 Studios, and the acquisition of Star Wars by Disney and EA, who knows who owns the rights to Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. We do know that another Battlefront title is incoming at some point from EA, but an HD re-release of the classic Rogue Squadron would be a little less imposing than an EA/DICE joint on the Wii U.

Year of release: 1996
Platform: N64

An HD re-release of Star Fox 4 seems like it would be the easiest to make happen, but an updated version of Star Fox Assault, or even Star Fox Adventures would be welcome. Granted the controls for Assault and Adventures would need a modern update, but a newly polished Star Fox title would also benefit from the Wii U's hardware. Throw in online multiplayer and you've got a banger on your hands.

The 3DS only Star Fox 64 3D was released was a step in the right direction for the series, but we want a console version.

Year of release: 1995
Platform: Sega Saturn

Ok, this one is cheating, but it's not entirely out of the realm of possibilities. The original Panzer Dragoon was released on the ill-fated Sega Saturn and later on the PS2. Sega and Nintendo are now in bed together, with more Sonic titles being slated for a release on the Wii U well into 2014. An HD remake of the original would make a ton of sense for the Sega/Nintendo partnership. With Crimson Dragon (the assumed spiritual successor of the Panzer series) heading to the Xbox One, it seems like an opportune moment to pounce on that dragon nostalgia.

Year of release: 1996
Platform: N64

Why did Jet Ski games all of the sudden fall out of favor with the audience at large? Back in the day it was Jet Ski everything, all the time. Now? We had Kawasaki Jet Ski for the Wii, but the less said about that the better. Why not give Wave Race 64 an HD re-release? The game is nearly universally adored and an update to the water physics and graphics would really pander to that incredibly vocal Jet Ski lobby who have been clamoring for a Wii U title.

Year of release: 2003
Platform: GameCube

Wouldn't it finally be rewarding to see an F-Zero title given a current-gen release? F-Zero GX was the fourth installment in the series, and was last seen lurking around a GameCube. The franchise skipped the Wii entirely, a truly new F-Zero title would be welcome on the Wii U. Integrating the gamepad and remote play feature seems like a pretty obvious move for a racing game that doubles as a vomit generator.

Year of release: 2005
Platform: GameCube

After the success of Fire Emblem Awakening on the 3DS, it seems like now would be the moment to revisit this oft forgotten GameCube title. The Japanese RPG title is looking at 8 years since it has gotten any screen time on a home console, but the traditional strategy gameplay would be welcome on the Wii U. The title introduced a steep learning curve that many titles of the GameCube era lacked. Party member perma-death was another feature which caught players right in the feels.

The Wii U could use more hardcore JRPG before we (hopefully) get our hands on X at some point in 2014. A face-lifted Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance would be a perfect stopgap.