Nintendo president Satoru Iwata came on Nintendo Direct this morning, announcing content for the Wii U including new games, Miiverse improvements, and a new Wii U virtual console. For Nintendo nerds out there, here is a wrap-up of all the highlights this morning.
New titles announced for the Wii U that will be shown at June’s E3 conference in Los Angeles are:
-A new 3D Mario action game.
-New Mario Kart game.
-First screens for the next Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
Exciting announcements and peaks at Wii U games currently in development will include:
A new Yoshi centred game: From the team behind Kirby’s Epic Yarn, with gameplay featuring a yarn made Yoshi was shown. It’s been a while since Yoshi last appeared as the main character in a game, with his last staring role being the Nintendo 64’s Yoshi’s Story.
Shin Mengami Tensei X Fire Emblem: A new colab from Atlus, is also on its way with a small trailer shown featuring the Fire Emblem characters. More announcements on this colab will be made soon.
The Legend of Zelda: A new addition to the popular franchise, with producer Eiji Aonuma taking viewers through the ideas behind the new game, and the different approach they plan to take. It was made clear this new Zelda instalment will take time to complete.
Xenoblade Chronicles Sequel: By Monolith Soft, with a short trailer showcasing some gameplay for the upcoming game. After showing the trailer for Xenoblade Chronicles, Iwata stopped to say the game was, “An example of one of our new approaches, and we are working with many more partners for collaborations.”
Bayonetta 2: This announcement came with a new trailer showcasing the game’s development, character creation, and environments. During the trailer, designers remarked how different Bayonetta 2 would be compared to the first game.
Though these titles seem far off, have no fear, as there are some tiles that will be released this year:
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD: To be released in the fall, with updated graphics, a tune-up of the overall game, the ability to play it off TV on Wii U GamePad and Miiverse compatibility. Viewers were also shown some HD photos of WindFall Island, to get a feel of what the game will look like.
The Wii U Virtual Console: Launching this spring, along with a system update. The console will have a selection of redeveloped NES and SNES games, with plans to release Game Boy Advance titles in the future as well. Players will be able to save progress, play games on the GamePad, and access Miiverse
Also set to launch in the next six months will be:
The Wonderful 101
Pikman 3
Wii U Fit
Game & Wario
Miiverse enhancements and updates:
Miiverse smartphone app: Not a lot of details are known for the app, but it was announced it would be out for spring. Iwata explained the app will be browser-based and allow players to browse through the Wii U’s Miiverse
To end the morning conference, Iwata left off by saying there would be a separate set of announcements for the 3DS, along with more info regarding the new titles announced.
With the slew of new games coming out for the Wii U, it’ll be interesting to see if the console grows in popularity. Have these recent announcements made you interested in getting a Wii U? Let us know in the comment below!
