Written by Bortch

Let’s face it, according to many sources on the internet, including this guy, the PlayStation 4 is the dominant console of the current generation. Even before the launch of the Xbox One, Microsoft’s always online “feature” hurt their chances of success, and repealing their actions didn’t help. Ultimately, it seemed almost as if it were fate for the PlayStation 4 reign supreme at launch, leaving the Xbox One in the dust.

However, you did not open up this article to check up on the PS4 and XB1; you want to know how the underdog of the current generation is doing, Nintendo’s Wii U. Truthfully, things aren’t looking too great.  Nintendo has taken a big hit from their Wii U launch, resulting in executives sacrificing money from their paychecks, a significant loss of stock value since the Wii’s launch, and many people comparing their latest system to that of the Dreamcast, claiming that it may just be Nintendo’s wan song. While things may seem bleak now, don’t forget what happened with the 3DS.  It started off with little to no support, had a horrible launch, and ended up outshining the Vita, proving that superior hardware does not always mean a superior product. Also, let’s be honest for a second; the generation has only just begun and who knows who will be victorious in the end.

 

So what exactly is coming out on the Wii U that you should be looking forward to? Don’t fret my children, for I am hear to give you some good news.

Hello Kitty Kruisers – March 18, 2014

The fuck is this shit?!?! GET OFF MY LIST! By the way, I like how the team behind this game thought it would be cute to change the “c” in cruisers to a “k.” Unless they’re releasing a “Hello Kombat” anytime soon I would suggest they leave the c to k conversion to NetherRealm Studios and the popular title listed below.

Mario Kart 8 – May 30, 2014

This game looks to be one of the more graphically advanced Nintendo games on the system, the lighting is really was does it for me, it makes everything seem borderline realistic while still maintaining those cartoon-y graphics/style that Nintendo is known for. What really excites me about the game, however, is the potential of the new karts. I missed out on Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS, where transforming karts were added to the mix, giving players the ability to fly and go underwater so I am already excited about that. Plus the addition of what appears to be magnetic tires to Mario Kart 8 makes it look like each race track can have multiple paths. Think of the stages they can pay homage to with this new mechanic as well, Mario Galaxy’s planets, F-Zero’s turbine tracks, the options are practically endless and I find myself looking forward to a more advanced version of drunk driver each day. (P.S. I’m not an alcoholic, I swear.)

Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem – TBA

Yes this is real, there was an official teaser trailer released too if you don’t believe me, WATCH IT! For those who don’t know, Shin Megami Tensei is the genuis RPG game series made by Atlus that eventually spun off into the greatly revered Persona spin off series. Shin Megami Tensei IV just came out of the 3DS not too long ago and has received great scores from several reviewers so your doubts in the series should be dismissed by now. That plus the game is a crossover with FIRE EMBLEM! A once obscure series in any country outside of Japan, the latest game in the series, Fire Emblem Awakening, is one of the main reasons I started playing my 3DS again. Each Fire Emblem game has always felt like an adventure to me, that plus the permadeath feature of the game made me always restart a whole level when any of my favorite characters fall in battle, because that means they are dead for good. From the looks of the trailer however, it appears that the game is going to include all of the Fire Emblem characters from the as as well… I wouldn’t put it past the developers; time travel was already a story element in Awakening so I know it’s a possibility to see all our favorite heroes fighting side by side against the crazed demons of the Shin Megami Tensei universe. I really hope this turns out to be a good game.

X – TBA 2014

What’s better than an open world RPG with beautiful scenery to explore and giant monsters to kill? How about having the ability to jump into a mech suit to help you tackle such tasks. X is set in the world of developer Monolith Soft’s previous game Xenoblade Chronicles which was not only a well received JRPG, but also one claimed to have improved on the genre. Taking what they have learned and adding on to it, X looks be be a great game with the extra hardware making the environments stand out from other RPGs previously seen on Nintendo consoles (I wouldn’t yet compare it to other RPGs such as Skyrim until its release). The game also appears to support multiplayer with some speculating it to be an MMO and others claiming it to be more like Diablo. I just look forward to rocket punching some giant monsters with my friends while imitating anime heroes. “ROOO-KETOOO PAAAANNNCHHH!!”

SEGA – TBA 2014

No, there is not a game coming out called SEGA. But the company sure is interested in giving us games that are exclusive to the Wii U. Two of their games really stand out from the crowd though, the re-imagined Sonic Boom and Bayonetta 2. Not a lot is known about either game but we can always base what we know off of what has been teased. In Bayonetta 2 the story appears to be that an old adversary has made its way back into Bayonetta’s life and has the amazing ability to counter all of her attacks; UH OH! Story aside, a short segments shown of the game look as insane as they should for a bullet witch who uses her hair and outfit to create giant demons to smash her foes. Here’s a trailer to get you hyped up. As for Sonic Boom we got even less to go on that trailer. From what I’ve seen, you cycle between all the original characters from the Genesis era (except for Chaotix) and the gameplay appears to change from character to character, although they all appear to run really fast. The best comparison I have for the game is that it looks like a fast paced Ratchet & Clank… kind of. Look at the trailer for this as well. Overall, looks like Sonic has been redesigned, again. Also.

Super Smash Bros. Wii U – TBA 2014

Nintendo should probably stop giving their game such bland/confusing names. I guess they ran out of “clashing” names to use for the title like: Super Smash Bros. Clash. Maybe I should be hired to come up with the names for their games. Title criticisms aside, the new Smash Bros looks great. Being co-developed by Namco doesn’t hurt either, having games that are used in fighting game tournaments definitely gives them some sort of credibility and they are said to be working on the balancing issues of the game. Hopefully this means no more fucking tripping! It’s a stupid mechanic! Stop it Nintendo! Other than gameplay tweaks, the roster has taken a turn for the interesting, it appears that Rosalina may replace the ice climbers by using a luma to attack and mirror her moves when necessary. The Wii Fit trainer also enters the fray… ensuring that the game will have at least one troll character; but the real deal is the inclusion of third party characters. Sonic returns again to spin dash his way through his foes while Snake appears to have been replaced by Mega Man, a character that appears to have taken the internet by storm when he was announced. Every one is excited to see what other characters will be announced, making lists of their own online; the options are endless but it would come as a surprise to me if Namco doesn’t allow one of it’s characters to make its way into the game. I would like to see Nightmare from Soul Calibur or maybe Devil Jin from Tekken, after all the game does need more villains. However, if Namco adds Pac-Man to the list over all of the other options they could choose, I will flip. My. Shit. Hell I’d even take Taizahori over Pac-Man.

Truthfully, other than all of these games I have listed above, there is still a whole lot coming out on the Wii U in the upcoming months. Are you more of a racing sim over Mario Kart kind of guy? Well here’s the beautiful Project Cars (TBA 2014). You like the Dynasty Warriors styled gameplay? How about some Hyrule Warriors (TBA)? Can’t wait for the latest Call of Duty? Bet it’ll be on the Wii U; Ghosts was so should you expect anything less? Let’s just have our fingers crossed for Watch Dogs (to be reannounced… so TBRA), Ubisoft says it’ll be delayed but it may just be cancelled.

Finally, you can’t finish a talk about upcoming games without mentioning the indie titles coming out. Indie developers have come a long way from being that cool game you’ve never heard of to becoming an almost essential part of any console owner’s “backup library.” I can’t tell you how many indie games I have played recently only to be surprised that they were independently developed on little to no budget (except for Kickstarted projects). Finally getting on board the bandwagon after years of apparent scoffing at the idea, Nintendo has opened its doors to indie developers and has given them a place to put their software. There is a whole lot to look forward to coming out on the Wii U, some even exclusive titles to the home consoles. I for one am looking forward to Shovel Knight (March 31, 2014).

I know that most of these have yet to be determined, but hopefully this will help Nintendo in making the comeback they need to stay in the business. They may not end up being the number one console of this generation, they may not even be the second best, but a very close third will satisfy me greatly. However, like I said earlier, you never know what may happen, the generation has just begun. Stay strong Wii U owners, this may just be the start of something big.