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5 Handheld Games That Should Be Brought To Consoles

Handheld games have been slowly trickling onto modern consoles in the last year or so, with games like Patapon 2, Rune Factory 4, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening just being a few. We’d like to see this train of handheld ports and remasters keep barreling along, with just a few games from the Nintendo DS, the Game Boy Advance, and the Sony PSP getting some of that TLC. Here are five handheld games we’d like to see be brought to consoles.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

In 2019 we saw a classic handheld Zelda title get the remake in The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, courtesy of Grezzo. Grezzo did such a good job bringing Link’s Awakening into the modern era without drastically changing the game’s feel, and we have got the project they should tackle next: Minish Cap. Much like Link’s Awakening, Minish Cap has a uniqueness to it that sets it apart from traditional entries in the series, and many Zelda fans believe it to be extremely underrated. Released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004 in Japan and Europe and 2005 in North America and Australia, Minish Cap featured a fun shrinking mechanic to make link Minish size, as well as a great companion in Ezlo, Link’s talking cap. Seriously Nintendo, let Grezzo get their hands on Minish Cap and see what magic they can pull off.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

If 2020 has taught us anything it is that people still go absolutely crazy for Final Fantasy VII content. Final Fantasy VII Remake has been one of the biggest game releases of the year, and it sounds like FF fans will be waiting quite some time to continue that journey when the next part of the Remake saga releases. Why not try and satiate that hunger just a little bit with a supplementary game that has been trapped on the PSP since 2008? It would be absolute perfect timing to drop a remaster of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, a game set seven years before the events of FFVII, and it wouldn’t require a massive overhaul either. If not Crisis Core, we’ve got another Final Fantasy game in mind that would also be great to bring to console…

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

Tactical games are perfect on consoles like the Nintendo Switch, given the success of games like Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Wargroove, so naturally Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions would fit right into that space like a glove. Another FF title  trapped on the PSP, The War of the Lions is an updated version of the original Final Fantasy Tactics from the PlayStation in 1997, and features 22 unique job classes, as well as permadeath to make it just a little more challenging. Square Enix shouldn’t let classics like these be forgotten on old hardware, and we’re hoping for a remake, remaster, or even a continuation to the Final Fantasy Tactics series in the near future.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

AlphaDream’s long-running Mario & Luigi RPG titles have been seriously overlooked, and it’s time the series gets some love on the Nintendo Switch. With some addicting turn-based combat, clever writing, and unique villains, the Mario & Luigi games are something special, and in our opinion they don’t get any better than Partners in Time. In this sequel to Superstar Saga, Mario and Luigi team up with the baby versions of themselves, to retrieve the Cobalt Star. Virtually every Mario character you know and love have their baby versions included in this game, and overall it’s just a wild ride. While all of the Mario & Luigi games should be on console, if we had to pick just one we’d have to go with Partners in Time.

Metroid: Zero Mission

Samus Aran has become one of the most beloved Nintendo characters thanks to the outstanding Metroid Prime series, as well as her appearances in several Super Smash Bros. titles, but many fans have yet to experience where her journey began. Metroid: Zero Mission on Nintendo Switch would be the perfect opportunity for players to get to know the bounty hunter a little better and soak in some of that sweet Metroid lore. Released in 2004 on the Game Boy Advance, Zero Mission is a masterful remake of the 1986 original Metroid, and it’s a game that everyone who even has minor interest in the character of Samus should experience.

Josh Gilbert

Josh is the Co-founder and a Senior Writer for Controller Crusade, and loves all things related to video games. He is a retro games collector trying to recapture his childhood one game at a time, and he also has a major dude crush on Nathan Drake. You can contact him via email at jgilbert@controllercrusade.com or on Twitter @joshgilbert11.

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