News: 2013 Looks Promising for Wii U

Greatness Lies Ahead for Nintendo

Today, the gaming-related parts of the interwebs have shown enormous enthusiasm for Nintendo's recent Wii U announcements. They revealed many new games for Wii U and also laid out their plans for MiiVerse, the Wii U's social network. After mentioning that they're hard at work on that HD Zelda everyone's waiting for, they told us that "in the meantime" we're getting a nice treat- a remake of The WindWaker for Wii U. And this isn't just an upscaled port. The screenshots clearly show reworked textures and finer detail all coalescing into the most gorgeous-looking Zelda game ever. For myself, that was the biggest part of their conference, and what I'm excited about most. But there quite a few other things worthy of mention- including Smash Bros! Let's see what other info Nintendo let out after the jump.

1. What did we get to see?Nintendo's a pretty secretive company- especially when it comes to their own creations. Whether it's a new console or a new iteration of one of their famous franchises, they're gonna keep their that ace up their sleeve until they're certain the time is right. So today was the "right time" for a few few of their upcoming games.

A game that I personally never got a chance to try out was Kirby's Epic Yarn, and I'm sort of okay with not having played it now, as Nintendo announced today a game with a similar visual theme. This game though will be featuring Yoshi as the protagonist rather than Kirby. Nintendo previously announced "Yoshi's Land" for Wii U as the working title, so I wouldn't assume that this game is related to Kirby's epic yarn except for the fact that they're visually similar. Oh, did I mention that the graphics look absolutely stunning? From what was shown, all we're able to make out is that it's probably a 2D platformer and it's definitely got our favorite green dinosaur as if he were sewn- up as a doll.

Another game that tickled my fancy was one that as of yet has no title. It's being made by the guys that made Xenoblade on the Wii, and from the video that was shown, it has a pretty similar appearance to that game and Monster Hunter. I've not played either of those, but this trailer had me interested in seeing more of this game. The trailer is available on Youtube here, and definitely worth a watch. The visuals were great, but what really impressed me was the orchestral score.

Though not exciting as the previously mentioned things, Nintendo also mentioned a crossover game featuring Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei. Not much else was said about it or revealed in the trailer, but it's expected to be releasing soon. Bayonetta 2 got a trailer as well, but without actual gameplay. I'd expect this game to be shown in a playable way at E3 this year. And lastly, a game that's coming very soon was shown off again, The Wonderful 101. This one is difficult to describe and to be honest, I can't even tell what the hell is going on even when watching the trailer. But you can check it out here yourself and maybe understand it a bit beter.

2. Don't show, just tell

Now prior to all the aforementioned games being shown-off, Nintendo made some exciting announcements. They said that during this year's E3, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Mario Kart for Wii U will both be playable at this years E3 conference. These are Nintendo's big guns here. Time will tell how soon they can get the games released as there is no doubt that these 2 games will make for some smashing sales figures once they're released.

A "3D action" Mario game- a successor to the Mario 64, Mario Sunshine, and Mario Galaxy series- will be playable at E3 this year. This is some VERY exciting news. Not just for Mario fans, but for the Wii U in general. If Nintendo manages to squeeze that 3D Mario game out before this Christmas, the Wii U's sales will skyrocket! I for one am very excited to see what the (near) future holds for that plumber. Let's hope it's not another Mario Galaxy sequel. Though that would look gorgeous, I would much prefer a different take on Mario in his full 3D glory- where the platforming could be more traditional a la Mario 64. All that is known as of yet is that it will likely show off the graphical finesse of their new system as all of Mario's outings have always done.

 2013 is looking to be an exciting year for Wii U owners, despite that this month and next month will feature no new games from Nintendo. Let's hope that they can deliver on these games sooner rather than later. Based off of what we're seeing from Nintendo thus far, they may very well manage to get some of their most popular franchises out in time before the competition comes out with whatever they're working on.

Nintendo has the opportunity to make themselves a much more viable choice over their competitors hypothetical next-generation systems if they are able to get some of these system-selling games out soon.

3. The Virtual Console and MiiVerse and More

Nintendo announced that their software offerings are all going to see some sort of "update." MiiVerse is going to be accessible from iPhones and other smartphones soon. Also, Nintendo plans to offer significant updates to their console- one in Spring and the other in the Summer- and both of these will work to make software and games load faster and add some new features like a "Virtual Console"- which will allow for playing classic games on your Wii U and it's GamePad.


2012 wasn't Nintendo's best year, considering both game releases and profit, but 2013 is shaping up to be spectacular for Wii U owners. And if the excitement online is any indication, there will be many, many more Wii U owners by years end.

Do you see a successful year ahead for Nintendo and their Wii U? Or are they doomed from the get-go as everyone waits to see what Sony and Microsoft have to offer? Sound off in the comments!