A Nintendo fan has createdWiimenu start-up animations for popular Switch games, revealing what the titles would have looked like on the seventh-generation console. These animations have made many Nintendo fans wax nostalgic for theWiiera, with some even requesting that the Japanese game developer bring a similar feature to the Switch.
While it might be hard for some to believe, the Wii was launched in 2006. Despite Nintendo releasing multiple consoles, such as the Switch, since then, there are aspects of the Wii that are remembered fondly by gamers. For example, many have become nostalgic for the system’s iconic home menu, which greeted players with a recognizable start-up sound and rows of icons for things like the Mii Maker, Forecast, andWii Shop Channel, among others. In addition, the menu included start-up animations for selected games, a feature missing from the Switch.
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Recently, one gamer attempted to rectify this problem by creating Wii menu start-up animations for Switch games, and the results were impressive. In a YouTube video uploaded by Pineapple Puppy, they revealed what it would look like if titles likeSuper Mario Odyssey,Animal Crossing: New Horizons, andSplatoon 2, among several others, were launched from the Wii home menu. While some animations were the loading screens from their respective games on the Wii U, such as the one forBreath of the Wild, the creator managed to give most of these a distinct feel making it seem like they were meant to be available on theolder Nintendo hardware.
One of the reasons why Pineapple Puppy’s animations work so well is the placement of the Start and Wii Menu icons, along with the arrows positioned at the sides of the screen. These details looked identical to those found on the actual Wii. In addition, the menu screens included a musical selection when picked, a characteristic that accompaniedgames on the Wii. In fact, the impressive quality of these menu animations caused some gamers to point out deficiencies in Nintendo’s most recent console. Some users in the comments section of the YouTube video noted that the Switch lacked menu start-up animations, and no music could be heard when selecting a game to play.
It is impressive to see what creative gamers come up with to show their appreciation of past console generations. As the responses to Pineapple Puppy’s video evidence, many Nintendo fans are nostalgic for the Wii and the various unique and sometimes quirky features it included. It will be interesting to see if Nintendo decides to incorporate any of the elements of the Wii home menu in therumored Switch 2 console. While the company went with a more minimalist approach to the Switch’s UI, it is hard to tell what it will do in the future.
