2014 was perhaps the best year to date for the WiiU. In a year when both the PS4 and XBox One had several titles that were either delayed or flat-out broken, Nintendo managed to hold it down in the gaming world with titles like Shovel Knight, Bayonetta 2, Mario Kart 8, and Smash Brothers . Say what you will about the system’s horsepower or broader appeal, but there’s no doubt that Nintendo had a ton of console-exclusives and first-party titles that kept owners entertained pretty much through the entire year.
So now we’re at the starting gate for 2015, and it looks to be a year that belongs to Zelda . The picture that Nintendo is painting when it comes to Zelda WiiU makes it seem like the edition of that series fans have been waiting years for. While the series has never been a slouch, there have definitely been a lot of ups and downs in recent memory, and it’s clear that the franchise was in need of a fresh boost of creativity.
If everything that we know about the game turns out to be true, we’re looking at what’s potentially a true evolution of the series’ formula. Conversely, they also seem to be going back to the heart of Zelda ; an open world filled with dungeons and free exploration. There have been several titles over the years that Nintendo can reference and draw inspiration from, such as Skyrim, Suikoden, Dragon Age , and Darksiders . I, for one, can’t wait to see what they end up delivering.
There’s no doubt that Nintendo is facing huge competition throughout 2015, but there’s a good chance that Zelda ‘s release could make the WiiU the ultimate underdog/comeback kid story. Fingers crossed; ultimately more competition only leads to better games, and that’s something we’re all in desperate need of right now.