5. Eternal Darkness
This is the second entry on this list that isn't a series. Ah, Nintendo, a world of joy, happiness and in this case, terror and insanity. Eternal Darkness is known for being one of the first M rated games Nintendo has ever published. Eternal Darkness is a GameCube game that was released in 2002. This game managed to get a 92 on Metacritic, that's how good of a game it was. But let's talk about the real thing. Eternal Darkness is a Survival Horror game that revolves around a book known as "The Tome of Eternal Darkness". You'll play as 12 different characters, each coming from a different time period. The game is well known for something called "sanity effects". If you don't know what it is, do not worry, I'll explain it for you. In this game, you have a sanity meter. If it goes down completely, you'll go insane. Some sanity effects include sounds such as someone knocking on the door when clearly no one is there, losing your own head, walls bleeding and the game will go as far as trolling you by saying that your memory card is corrupted. That sure scared a bunch of players. The game manages to combine good music, great gameplay, great story and great characters very well. Apparently, Silicon Knights (the developers of this game) were planning a sequel to the game for the Wii U. Unfortunately, they got into trouble with Epic Games and apparently, the game is cancelled. That is quite frustrating because I like getting freaked from time to time. If only Nintendo could do something about it. I'll just wish it comes back and shows people that Nintendo can be "Hardcore" when they want to be.
4. Earthbound/Mother
You knew this one was coming at one point on this countdown. Well, Earthbound is number four. For those of you who don't know the Mother series, I won't blame you. I'll explain what Earthbound is for you. There is 3 games in the series. The first one is Mother, which was released for the Famicom in 1989. It is the least popular of the 3 games. Then, in 1995, Earthbound is released for the Super Nintendo. The sales in North America were abysmal to say the least but surprisingly enough, the game as gained popularity in recent years. The last one is Mother 3, released in 2006 for the GameBoy Advance. It is widely regarded as the saddest game ever made and a work of art which unfortunately never made it to North America. It is a Role-Playing game. In most Mother games, you use powers you got from aliens. Unlike most RPGs, you don't really use swords and knives to attack your enemies. You usually use sticks and stuff you can find around your house. The series is set in modern days. It is hard for me to go in-depth because I didn't play the games, I've watched walkthoughs of it and really, you can't blame me because Earthbound is a very rare game and Mother and Mother 3 haven't released in North America. I know for a fact that the plot of Mother and Earthbound is about a bunch of kids trying to fight an alien that tries to destroy the world. Mother 3's plot, I'm not so sure about what it is. I wish one day we'll see a new game in this series as many people say this is one of the best RPG series ever made. It used to be an obscure series but with the help of games like Super Smash Bros, Let's Players like chuggaaconroy and NintendoCapriSun and Giygas himself, the popularity of the Mother series has increased. The series is no longer an obscure series. Apparently, fans are trying to work on a Mother 4 game. That has caught the interest of Shigesato Itoi (creator of the series). Maybe that is a sign that the Mother series isn't quite dead yet. Let's hope we'll see Itoi's beloved series once more.
3. Chibi-Robo!
Oh boy, do I really want to see a new one of those. This is the third GameCube game already. The GameCube sure had some great games. When a game makes cleaning your house FUN, it has to be a great game. This game is no other than Chibi-Robo! There are 3 games in the series. Chibi-Robo! which released in 2006 for the GameCube, Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol for the Nintendo DS, which released in 2007 and Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Osoji in 2009 for the Nintendo DS. I've only played the GameCube one so it'll be kind of easy for me to explain what the game is like. Basically, you are Chibi-Robo, a miniature robot that helps cleaning the house. BELIEVE me, the game is incredibly fun. You can clean up stains on the floor using a tooth brush, putting pieces of paper in the garbage and help other toys. By accomplishing these tasks, you will earn happy points. You can also buy new gadgets such as Chibi-Copter and Chibi-Blaster as well as new costumes. But, be careful, you will slowly lose your battery power so you will have to charge very often. You can increase your battery power so you can travel to more distant places so, no worries there. There is also a Day/Night mechanic. I could play this game for hours. It is definitely one of my favorite GameCube games. It has so much style. Skip Ltd. (developers of the game) are truly admirable developers and they don't shy away from making such creative games that truly understand what fun is. If only this series could make a comeback on the Wii U, I'll cry. Heck, I'll buy a "New Play Control" of the game if it ever releases in North America. I truly feel stupid for not having bought the game when I had the chance to. Enjoy the video below as I slap myself for being an idiot.
2. Custom Robo
Now let's talk about about another kind of "Robo", shall we? But this isn't the kind that would clean your house, no sir. These were meant to FIGHT! Remember that awesome Robo you get from an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros Brawl? Well, that's his series. There are a total of five games in the series. The original Custom Robo which was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, Custom Robo V2 which was released on the Nintendo 64 in 2000, Custom Robo GX, released in 2002 for the GameBoy Advance, Custom Robo for the GameCube, released in 2004 and finally, the one I have, Custom Robo Arena for the Nintendo DS in 2007. Custom Robo is sort of like Pokemon but instead of having Pokemons, you have miniature robots that are meant to fight. The combat system is also different as it is not a turn based RPG style of combat but more of a 1 on 1 arena sort of combat system. You attack using guns, bombs, and mines which you can customize. The sport of Custom Robo is taken very seriously and is pretty much what students learn at school (what an awesome school). You have a variety robots you can get, each coming with their own advantages and disadvantages. I also LOVE the soundtrack of Custom Robo Arena. If you like Pokemon, you will definitely love Custom Robo. It looks a lot alike. Unfortunately, the sales aren't similar to Pokemon. It is one of the series I want to see on the Wii U. Here's hoping Ray MK IV shows up one day.
Let's recapitulate before we get to number 1:
10. Star Fox
9. F-Zero
8. Wave Race
7. Battalion Wars
6. Cubivore
5. Eternal Darkness
4. Earthbound/Mother
3. Chibi-Robo!
And finally
2. Custom Robo
Ready to see what my number one "Nintendo franchise that needs to make a comeback" is?
1. Nazo No Murasamejou (The Mysterious Castle Murasame)
A very odd choice for number one indeed. I myself never played the game, I just watched a long play of it. But, again, you can't blame me since this game was released in Japan only for the Famicom... in 1986. What struck me about this game was how similar it was to another game that came out the same year. The Legend of Zelda, anyone? Well, it's a more linear and fast-paced but you know what I mean. After that, I tried to imagine how Nazo No Murasamejou could be like nowadays. I imagined it being an open world game like The Legend of Zelda with samurais instead of knights. I tried to imagine how the combat could be. A Ninja Gaiden-The Legend of Zelda hybrid would be nice. I imagined that the only weapons you could use were Katanas, Shurikens and Bow and Arrows which you could upgrade throughout the game. Having two "Zelda-like" games would be incredible. Seriously, think about it! People wouldn't be crying for the next Zelda game to come out. It could be a more difficult Action Adventure game for players who want a real challenge. Nazo No Murasamejou is probably one of the few games on this list that made me go nuts about how it could be if it ever came back. You can't really say the series is quite dead yet. Here's some proof. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, you could unlock the overworld theme of the game (Nazo No Murasamejou - Dochuumen). In Samurai Warriors 3 (a game published by Nintendo for the Wii), Takamaru (the protagonist) appeared as a bonus character. In the upcoming Wii U title Nintendo Land, there is a mini-game based on the series: Takamaru's Ninja Castle. Why a Nazo No Murasamejou mini-game instead of a Star Fox mini-game? While it is not absolutely likely that the series will make a comeback, the game isn't quite dead yet. Surely, the series needs to be popular so it can make a comeback which is why this game is my number 1. I want to see Takamaru's bloody face once for more!
Well, that concludes our Top 10 Nintendo franchises that need to make a comeback. I sure loved doing this list. I am pretty proud of how the list turned out to be. My skills at doing countdowns have definitely improved in comparison to the crap I used to do in 2008 and 2009. This is definitely not my last countdown. It has just begun.
Have a nice day.
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