Nintendo Direct — Wii U Poised For A 2015 Comeback?
Will 2015 be the year Nintendo’s Wii U console strikes back at the competition? The past few days might make you think so.
The Wii U has been in a slump until recently. As reported by the Inquisitr, sales of Wii U software helped push Nintendo into the green for the first time in a few years, and the Wii U seems poised to continue its string of success. The recent Nintendo Direct event that took place yesterday has shown that the Wii U still has plenty of space to shine.
Some of the more intriguing announcements took center stage, including a re-release of the long-lived Metroid Trilogy on the Wii U, as well as introducing cross-buy functionality. This puts Nintendo in the same realm as rival Sony, allowing players to buy a game on their Wii U and own the same game on their 3DS system. According to Gamespot, the first cross-buy game has been given a March 5 release date: Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars.
The previously eluded to Metroid Prime Trilogy will be re-released for Wii U on January 29. This is part of Nintendo’s larger plan to allow for Wii games to be downloaded onto player’s Wii U consoles. The Metroid Prime games have been lauded as some of the best in the series, and by continuing to embrace their history, the Wii U continues to set itself apart from its competitors. Nintendo is even making the deal enticing for fans, offering the downloadable games at a cheaper price on Wii U over their retail counterparts.While players have normally been able to play their past-gen games on their Wii U already, by providing these games at a better value, Nintendo is making them hard to resist.
It was also revealed that Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada is working on a free-to-play game exclusively for the Wii U code-named Project Treasure. The free-to-download game will have players working together to disarm traps, grab treasures, and take care of enemies. While the Wii U exclusive is co-op, Harada said during his video that players had to connect their Wii U console to the internet. No word was mentioned in the presentation how the game would be monetized.
Finally, E3 2014 Wii U darling Splatoon has been given a release date. The paint-ball inspired shooter will launch exclusively on the Wii U this coming May. While the exact street date wasn’t revealed, the release window is appreciated, as this will mark the first time a new IP with Nintendo is released in some time.
With all of these announcements, Nintendo’s Wii U seems ready to seize its momentum and move forward into 2015. Are you excited about any of these announcements? Have they convinced you to pick up a Wii U? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image courtesy of Forbes]
