‘Star Fox’ To Land On Wii U Before ‘Zelda’

The year 2015 for the Wii U looks to be a promising for the console. Not only will it be coming off the heels of two strong game launches in 2014 (Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros.), but it will also see a much stronger install base than it did following the previous holiday season. What’s more is that we have entries in not one, but at least two strong Nintendo franchises on the way to Wii U in the form of Star Fox and The Legend of Zelda. While the news of Star Fox isn’t new, confirmation of its release before Zelda next year is new.

The news came at The Game Awards from world renowned game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of such beloved characters as Mario, Link, and Donkey Kong, via Gamespot. While presenting a demo for the new Zelda game with producer Eiji Aonuma, Miyamoto revealed that his Star Fox game would be coming out next year and that “the way it uses the game pad is really starting to feel good,” he said to cheers from the audience.

Star Fox for Wii U will mark the first new game in the franchise in nearly a decade. The last new release was Star Fox Command for The Nintendo DS back in 2006, which was a welcome return to the series’ roots following games like Star Fox Armada and Star Fox Adventures, both of which had a number of on-foot elements not present in the first two Star Fox games. There is no word yet on whether or not the Wii U version will have on-foot elements as well, but with the game heavily utilizing the gamepad, it is clear that the emphasis is on the air battles.

Last E3, gamers got to try out a tech demo for the new Star Fox. It was in its very early stages, as IGN noted, but it still showed great promise and a unique gameplay elements.

“On the gamepad screen you have a first person view with the aiming reticle. You’re basically aiming with the gamepad, but you’re using the left stick to fly so you’re kind of looking between both.”

This results in a game where you can set up flying routes while aiming all around using the gamepad. This could give the Wii U version of Star Fox an unprecedented amount of freedom. Whether or not that is a freedom gamers will embrace remains to be seen.

Are you excited for the new Star Fox? Let us know.