What if these franchises went mobile?

Franchises like Call of Duty, Street Fighter, and Assassin’s Creed have mobile titles available on the App Store and Google Play. While they may not play exactly like their console or PC counterparts, these gaming apps give us new ways to experience our favorite characters and their worlds in a mobile-friendly format. More and more franchises are making the jump to mobile, so that got us thinking—how would other notable games fare on phones and tablets?

Let’s pretend for a second that Nintendo made mobile games and that games like Halo, Elder Scrolls, and even Crash Bandicoot had mobile titles. We’ve thought of what they would play like and what type of games we would get if they one day did decide to appear on our phones. It may be wishful thinking, but who knows if these titles are in our forecast.

Angry Birds Go! tried taking the familiar franchise for a “spin”, but it didn’t do the kart racing genre justice. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed also recently made its debut on mobile devices, so who’s to say Mario can’t do the same? Nintendo would first need to get on the mobile bandwagon, but once that’s out of the way, there’s no doubt that a Mario Kart game would do wonders on phones and tablets.

Playing like every other Mario Kart game out there, an iOS or Android version would feature an abridged roster and fewer levels, but it could implement mobile-specific features like social media notifications, Bluetooth local multiplayer, and cloud saving. The app would be premium, but you know there’s bound to be some in-app purchases. Maybe $9.99 gets you a bucket of coins to purchase kart parts or extra courses. We can bet that even Nintendo games won’t be immune to IAPs.

MMOs and open-world RPGs are rare on mobile devices, so when a game such as Shadow Sun comes out, you just can’t help but hope it’s awesome. The game itself is a lot like the Elder Scrolls series, letting you create a character, customize him or her as you level up, and embark on quests that see its story play out. So what’s there to stop Bethesda from doing the same thing with their own games?

Mobile versions of past Elder Scrolls games, or even a new one altogether, would bring a new layer of depth to mobile RPGs. Touch controls can easily take the place of a mouse and keyboard, and with a smart UI, you’d still have access to all your spells and abilities on a small screen. Morrowind would look great on current devices with some visual updates, of course, but it might still be a while until we see a game as large as Oblivion or Skyrim go mobile.

Gameloft has already released three installments of its N.O.V.A. series on iOS and Android and it’s done so well that it’s even one of the few mobile titles available on PSN. This sci-fi shooter plays a lot like Crysis and Halo and even features a familiar storyline about humans trying to reclaim their planet after aliens took it over. If N.O.V.A. managed to garner such an audience with mobile FPS fans, there’s no question Halo could easily do the same.

As with many games on this list, a mobile version of Halo would feature trademark locations and weapons like the energy blade or heavy needler but in a mobile-friendly package. This means shorter missions, plenty of checkpoints, and even a few in-app purchases just in case anyone gets stuck and needs to buy additional ammo during their campaign or online matches. Just imagine if Microsoft decided to incorporate a mobile version of Halo with any future title they have planned. Instead of acting as just another companion app, a Halo game for your phone could let you take your campaign with you on the go.

Oceanhorn is only modestly inspired by The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks. That is, if you think A Link Between Worlds is only modestly inspired by A Link to the Past. Both Oceanhorn and Wind Waker feature a young hero who goes around to different islands, fighting off enemies, uncovering secret treasures, and battling bosses. Maybe the success of Oceanhorn will be enough for Nintendo to give the mobile market a second look.

As with previous Zelda titles, a mobile game would need to take full advantage of the platform as far as controls and features. Oceanhorn only had basic block puzzles to deal with, but Link's mobile awakening could have us taking aim with the hookshot or bow using the accelerometer. And how about playing the ocarina with taps and gestures? Nintendo could also just give us a top-down follow up to the original game or Link to the Past. Even that would be enough.

It’s been too long since we last had an F-Zero game, and while we can only hope a Wii U version is in the works, a mobile version wouldn’t be a bad idea. Arcade racers seem to do really well in the mobile marketplace--just look at the Asphalt series--so it makes sense for one with some nostalgic appeal as F-Zero to enter the fray.

A mobile F-Zero could be released as a freemium game that has you pay to unlock additional courses. Of course, this means everything is there for you to unlock--if you manage to win first place in each race, that is. If the AI prove to be too much for you, you may just be tempted to cough up a few dollars to unlock the rest of the cups and courses. Knowing how difficult previous games in the series have been, this might be an ingenious way to capitalize on nostalgia.

There are lots of other franchises that still haven’t dipped their feet into mobile waters, so this is just a small selection of the games that would do really well on phones and tablets. Who knows? Maybe we'll get an Elder Scrolls mobile puzzler before an RPG. Let us know what you think and what franchises you’d like to see go mobile.

And if you're wondering why mobile games are so popular, be sure to check out thereason why.