I doubt any answer I could give you would satisfy you, Maestro. And even then, given how much vitriol you toss their way, I can't really picture you ever purchasing a current-gen Nintendo system again.
Still though, I do have some thoughts and speculation on the subject for anyone who may be interested. GameCube remakes are an interesting topic.
We haven't seen any sort of GameCube 'Virtual Console' of any kind. The early model Wiis had backwards compatibility, of course, but we haven't seen anything similar on the Wii U or Switch. The Wii U did have a few Wii games released digitally. These tended to be either greatest hits games (Mario Galaxy, Donkey Kong Country Returns, etc), games where the physical copy was hard to find (Xenoblade Chronicles), or both (Metroid Prime Trilogy). It looks like there were only 35 total, and some were limited to just North America, Japan, the PAL regions, or 2 out of 3.
I suspect if the Wii U had proven more popular, and was still actively supported, we would have seen more popular Wii titles available for download. The next logical step after that, would have been to make a similar selection of GameCube games available. After the GameCube USB controller adapter was released, along with new GameCube controllers in time for Smash 4, it would been the next logical step. Wii U homebrewers have been able to get GameCube games working relatively easily, since the Wii U shares architecture with both the Wii and the GameCube.
Unfortunately, much as I enjoy my Wii U, it was not a popular system, and any plans in that direction would have been scrapped as they moved their focus onto the Switch.
There have been a few 1st and 3rd party GameCube games that received ports, so hope is not lost.
From Capcom,
Resident Evil 4,
Resident Evil 0, and the
remake of the original
Resident Evil have been ported to just about everything short of the Game.Com, including current gen systems. These are largely unchanged save for some nice HD up-resing. I'm not the biggest fan of the franchise, but RE4 holds up as a pretty fun game. RE0 and REmake are (I believe) the last time the series used 3D models on pre-rendered backgrounds, and consequently hold up quite well on HD consoles or the PC...I'm not personally fond of the old-school RE tank controls, but fans of the series are usually happy to see these brought over.
Killer 7 got a PC re-release as well. No other examples that were advertised as GameCube exclusives or timed exclusives come to mind. Of course, there were many multi-platform releases during this era, some of which have been remade.
For 1st party GameCube ports, remakes and remasters, we have a few already:
Pikmin and Pikmin 2 - Re-released on the Wii with motion controls, and then digitally as a Wii title on the Wii U.
(I know Maestro isn't fond of motion controls, but the RTS nature of Pikmin has always felt more natural to me than a GameCube controller. It would work pretty well keyboard and mouse, but that seems unlikely to ever happen. My favourite play experience with the Pikmin series is actually Pikmin 3 with the Wiimote and nunchuck for controls, the map on the Wii U gamepad, and the main action on the TV)
Metroid Prime 1 and 2 - Re-released as part of the Metroid Prime Trilogy on the Wii, and then digitally as a Wii U.
(Again, I loved the motion controls of Prime 3, and so I enjoyed having them for Prime 1 and 2. I'm not a big FPS guy, but I know others who are and though they'd prefer mouse and keyboard, did enjoy the motion controls of the Wii version over using a traditional game pad. Thankfully the Prime series has those lock-on mechanics and is pretty forgiving.)
Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat - Re-released on the Wii with motion controls.
(I haven't actually played this one. I get the idea of using the Wiimote and Nunchuck rather a dedicated peripheral like the DK Bongos, but it would have been nice if the Bongos were compatible with this version.)
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Remastered with an HD version on the Wii U
(I quite liked this one. The 16:9 aspect was great, the HUD felt cleaner, and the already-great cell shaded visuals looked even better in HD to my eyes. The Wii U Gamepad was handy for quick access to inventory, and there were a lot of little quality of life improvements.)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Remastered with an HD version on the Wii U
(Yes, this was released near-simultaneously on the Wii, but the remaster is based on GameCube version. Link is left-handed, so Hyrule isn't 'flipped' the way it is on the Wii, unless one chooses to play in Hero mode, for an extra challenge. Again, not a ground up remake, but a nice HD re-master that made good, optional use of the Gamepad like WWHD, and had some nice quality of life improvements. I did play the original on the Wii first, but I don't really miss the motion controls from that version. They weren't really part of the core mechanics like they were in Skyward Sword, so they aren't missed.)
Luigi's Mansion - Remastered/remade for the 3DS.
(This is kind of an odd one, since it came out in 2018, so late in the 3DS life. It does make a certain amount of sense though, since Luigi's Mansion 2 did well on the 3DS. I haven't played it, but reviews are positive, and looks nice from the videos I've seen. This isn't surprising, as it was handled by Grezzo, who handled the well-reviewed Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask remakes on the 3DS as well as the Link's Awakening on the Switch. Since Luigi's Mansion 3 is coming for the Switch, I'd love to see a collection of this remaster, as well as Luigi's Mansion 2 ported to the Switch.)
Of these, I suspect we'll see a few still coming to the Switch. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess HD didn't use the Gamepad for anything integral to the games, so could drop that feature and be ported as is. Similarly, if/when a new Pikmin game is announced, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a collection of 1-3...and given the recent Switch Lite release, and the Joycons using the gyroscope for motion controls rather than the IR that Wii remote used, it would make sense for a Pikmin collection's controls to be based on the GameCube versions. There has been a fair bit of speculation about the Prime Trilogy getting a Switch release as well, particularly with Metroid Prime 4 in development. And as I mentioned, it would be nice to see a Luigi's Mansion 1 and 2 collection to go along with the upcoming 3rd entry. As far as Jungle Beat....seems unlikely, but it would be neat...
As for speculation on the specific titles you mentioned:
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GC)/Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii) - These seem pretty likely, as I mentioned in one of the Fire Emblem threads. There have been a few Fire Emblem remakes now: the original Famicom title (Fire Emblem and the Blade of Light) received a Super Famicom remake in Mystery of the Emblem, which included a substantial expansion on the story, Shadow Dragon and New Mystery of the Emblem on the DS were a further remake of those two Marth-focused titles, and Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia on the 3DS, which was a remake of Gaiden. With the popularity of the Fire Emblem series at an all-time high after the recent release of Three Houses, ports, remakes or remasters of older titles seem likely, as this would allow Nintendo to keep the series fresh in gamers' minds while they work on the next main entry. The Radiance duology still looks quite nice, and I suspect would do well with the HD-remaster treatment; some better textures, more detailed character models, etc. If we do see more Remasters/Remakes from Fire Emblem, I'd bet on the Radiance duology being next.
The GBA FE titles that came to North America and PAL regions had virtual console releases...so it wouldn't surprise me if we saw them if Nintendo eventually chooses to make GB/GBC/GBA titles available on the Switch the way they've started to do with NES/SNES games. That would suit me, since I subscribe to the Switch Online service, so access would be included if this situation came to pass.
I would certainly like to see full remakes of the Elibe duology (the sub-series that started with Roy, and then the prequel with Eliwood, Lynn, and Hector), The Sacred Stones, or the Jugdral duology (Geneology of the Holy War, and Thracia 776). If I had to pick among those games, I'd selfishly say the Jugdral subseries, since it has never officially been released outside of Japan, but I'd happily take any of them. I
It would be neat to see either the Elibe games, or the Jugral ones be remade as a single, epic length narrative without being split up. Geneology of the Holy War already featured a story across two generations, with Thracia 776 taking place during Geneology's time skip. I could see them doing it all as one, continuous story. Same with the Elibe games. Start with Lynn, Hector and Eliwood, and then move right into Roy's story...
Enough Fire Emblem rambling from me for now.
Mario Kart Double Dash: If we see this one, I suspect it is going to be as a straight port...maybe as part of the Switch Online service, or part of a collection. The reason I mention that, is that although we've seen some Mario Kart titles available through Virtual Console, I don't think they've ever had a full re-release. Instead, we have classic/retro tracks appear in every game since Super Circuit on the GBA. I think most of the Double-Dash ones have been redone by this point in later entries.
I think a Mario Kart Collection (Kollection?) would be well received on the Switch. . If the handheld titles might look pretty rough on a modern, HD TV, they might better in hand-held mode, since that's the way they were originally presented. Collections aren't usually done as full remakes (though Crash and Spyro were recently), but it would be great to see the older polygonal titles get even a basic \ HD treatment.
2022 is the 30th anniversary the release of Super Mario Kart on the SNES/Super Famicom, so that might be a good time to do it, but if, such a collection came out tomorrow, I'd grab it without a second thought.
Super Mario Sunshine: This may have already been teased in August. For the 3D Mario console games, Super Mario 64 was available on Virtual Console on the Wii and Wii U, and Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 were digitally released on the Wii U, so does leave a gap with Sunshine. As with other entries on this list, if the Wii U had a longer life, I think we'd have seen a digital re-release.
Sunshine seems like a great candidate for a remaster or full remake. I remember at the time that a lot of chatter from friends and online about people not liking FLUDD and the water mechanics, or wanting something closer to Mario 64, but it reviewed well and I know that as with Wind Waker, a lot of those folks have changed their tunes over the years, and remember it as an excellent entry. (Reviews at the time were very positive, though). I enjoyed that like all 3D Mario games since, it the basic controls, and ads some nice twists unique to this entry.
The original still looks quite good, and I have played it with HD resolution on the Dolphin emulator. It holds up well, and I think it would be fine as an HD remaster along the lines of Wind Waker or Twilight Princess, with improved models, textures and a 16:9 aspect. I would like to see it re-done the engine they used for Super Mario Odyssey.
Super Smash Bros. Melee: (Obviously this is always a touchy subject with you, Maestro, so before I begin, I'll thank you in advance not to toss any personal insults my way over anything I might say about Smash here. In return, I will strive to be respectful. Any personal insults will result in no further responses from me in this thread.)
A lot of what I'd mentioned about Mario Kart applies to Smash Bros as well. We did see the original Super Smash Bros. get a Virtual Console release on the Wii, but no other ports, remasters or remakes. As I mentioned above, if the Wii U had seen more success and they continued adding Wii digital titles, I think GameCube titles would have followed, and Super Smash Bros. Melee would have been among them.
I think there is some hope that we might see something on the Switch, either Melee specifically, or GameCube titles in general. The GameCube 4-port USB adapter for the Wii U has been re-released for the Switch, and was supported by the last two entries in the series. Although Melee is not the best-selling entry in the series, it is the best-selling title on the GameCube, and one of the highest selling titles of that console generation. I've seen a few slightly different numbers, but it seems we have about 1 copy of Melee that was sold for every 4 GameCube consoles. Impressive by any standard.
Beyond that, whatever one thinks of Melee's fan base, none can deny that they are both passionate, and vocal, and this has kept Melee in many gamers minds to this day. Even folks who've never had the chance to try it are aware of its legendary status. As such, I think it is the most likely candidate in the series for a re-release or remaster.
(Note: I do think we're likely to see N64 games added to the Nintendo Online library on the Switch, so we might see the N64 Smash Bros. playable on the Switch first, but I think Melee is the better candidate for a standalone remake.)
The current entry in the series, Super Smash Bros Ultimate has made a big deal of including every character from past entries in the series, as well as a roster that is still being expanded. In a recent interview, with Famitsu, Masahiro Sakurai had mentioned that future entries in series would not have this large a roster
(Link Here).
There's only ever been a single entry per console in the Smash Bros. series, so we're unlikely to see another full, brand new entry on the Switch. However, with the GameCube adapter and controllers available, I think it would be the ideal place for a re-release or remaster Melee.
Ideally, I think a remaster would include a few modes within the same game. Something like 'Classic Melee' should be as close to original as possible, for the purists, but you could have something like a Melee+ mode to allow options or characters from later releases to be mixed in, with mechanics matching the Melee baseline. As an example, maybe classic Melee mode would still use 4:3 aspect ratio, but Melee+ could be in 16:9.
Now all that said, if we did some kind of new Melee re-release, I think it would be late in the console's life cycle. Smash Ultimate is still selling well, and has additional characters still in development, so from a sales perspective, there's not a lot of incentive to release another entry, even a remake. If a remake comes, I wouldn't expect an announcement until well after the last Smash Ultimate DLC content is released.
