Nintendo's Long History of Ports

Recently, Nintendo has been getting some negative feedback regarding the Wii U games that have been getting ported/remade for the Switch. Most of the negative feedback comes from the fact that it's taking up development time that could be used to make an original game, rather than using that time to give a game we've already played a new coat of paint or new character. What seems to be forgotten is that Nintendo has ported games from older consoles for several years.

Mario

All of the main series Mario platformers on the NES were remade into Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES. They were also remade as individual games for the Gameboy Advance along with Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island, aside from the Super Mario Bros which was remade for the Gameboy Color as Super Mario Bros Deluxe.

Super Mario 64 received a touched-up port/remake for the Nintendo DS which changed the graphics and added Luigi, Yoshi, and Wario as playable characters. It also added a few basic levels and 30 new stars. The DS remake had to sacrifice the analogue controls, but if you can get past the change you might find a fun way to play the game.

Super Mario 64 got another port, albeit not officially released. It was ported to the 64DD for testing purposes. Changes are minimal compared to the Japanese version, but the music in some cases has more depth. You can find a rom of this version online, but there are bugs that can result in the game crashing.

While this has yet to come out, Luigi's Mansion is being remade for the Nintendo 3DS. And that's as much as we know at this time.

Legend of Zelda

The first Zelda game was remade for the Super Famicom using the Satellaview for a short period of time. It used updated sprites thanks to the power of the Super Famicom, but otherwise is a pretty faithful recreation of the original game.

Zelda 1 and 2 were ported to the Gameboy Advance under the "Classic NES" series. These ports featured no graphical upgrade and very few gameplay changes.

Zelda 1, 2, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask were ported to the Gamecube as the Zelda "Collector's Edition". Ocarina of Time was also ported to the Gamecube as a bonus for preordering Wind Waker, but it also came with Master Quest. Master Quest is the only game that had been altered in any way when brought to the Gamecube, featuring Ocarina of Time dungeons that have been altered.

Four Swords was remade for the DSi in celebration of Zelda's 25th anniversary. It featured a single play mode, minor gameplay tweaks, and new levels based on other 2D Zelda games. The remake was available for a limited time twice, but has been unavailable officially since February 2014.

Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask were remade for the Nintendo 3DS. The remakes feature upgraded graphics, gameplay changes, and minor level design tweaks. The remakes are often regarded as the best way to play the games.

Pokemon

Pokemon Red and Blue were remade for the Gameboy Advance as Fire Red and Leaf Green. They feature improved graphics, more available Pokemon, enhanced music, and major improvements to the gameplay.

Pokemon Gold and Silver were remade for the DS as Heart Gold and Soul Silver. The remake features changed music, enhanced graphics, gameplay tweaks, and more available Pokemon.

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire were remade for the 3DS as Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. It features 3D graphics, online compatibility, more available Pokemon, and altered music.

Miscellaneous

The first Metroid was remade for the Gameboy Advance. It features improved graphics and gameplay changes that align it more with other games in the Metroid series.

Metroid 2 was remade for the 3DS. It features 3D graphics and gameplay changes.

Doshin the Giant was ported from the 64DD to the Gamecube. The port primarily consists of updated graphics.

Animal Crossing was ported from the Nintendo 64 to the Gamecube. It features gameplay tweaks and new items. It was then enhanced multiple times in Japan.

Donkey Kong Country 1 was demade for the Gameboy Color. It features worse graphics, music, and gameplay.

The original Donkey Kong Country trilogy was remade for the Gameboy Advance. It features altered music and gameplay.

Conclusion

Nintendo has been porting and remaking their games for years. While most of these examples are from a rather old system to a more recent system, games like Animal Crossing, Doshin, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask were only ported after one console generation. I get that it's annoying to see LEGO City Undercover being treated as a new game worthy of $60, but it's nothing we haven't seen for many years.