Tweet
Less than a month away from this year's E3 and Nintendo's full reveal of the upcoming Wii U, it's hard to keep from dreaming of the next generation of games we'll soon be getting our hands on. If history repeats itself, of course, not everything we'll play on Wii U will be pulled out of thin air – we can certainly expect to see new sequels and follow-ups to franchises already established through the past several years.
So, while we're dreaming, why not pick some top contenders? These are our choices for the Wii series that most deserve an encore appearance on Wii U.
Super Mario Galaxy
Nintendo shocked and surprised fans of the platforming plumber with the unveiling of Super Mario Galaxy 2 at E3 2009, as it was a mold-breaking moment for the company – Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine had both stood alone as the only 3D Mario platformers in the two previous generations, so no one expected a "2" would ever appear for even the great Galaxy. Now that numbered Mario sequels are back in style, though (evidenced even further by the announcement of New Super Mario Bros. 2 a few weeks ago), we'd love to see Mario sent back to space one more time.
Does that mean we're simply wishing for Super Mario Galaxy 3 on Wii U? Well, no. Not exactly. Our real hope is that Wii U's 3D Mario game, when it gets one, will do something truly new and unique with our favorite red-capped hero. But the groundbreaking spherical worlds and brilliant gravity manipulation of the Galaxy games shouldn't be forgotten if Mario's next adventure is brought back down to Earth (because really, where else can he go?). Let's hope Galaxy's best ideas live on beyond the generation transition in some form, not getting left behind and forgotten like, say, Sunshine's F.L.U.D.D.
Muramasa: The Demon Blade
One game we'd be happy to see get a direct, numbered sequel on Wii U would be 2009's brilliant Muramasa: The Demon Blade by Vanillaware. You remember this one, of course, because it boldly pushed striking, epic, hand-drawn 2D art as its main selling point on Wii – a system no one else was really willing to develop for on the strength of its visual ability.
Having a follow-up on Wii U eliminates that old issue, of course, as Nintendo's next console is finally entering the HD age – its support for high-definition resolutions would make a sequel pop off the screen (or screens) like never before. Will it happen? Well, Vanillaware has no track record of making direct numbered sequels, so "Muramasa 2" probably wouldn't come to pass. Another thematically similar, spiritual follow-up, though, seems perfectly reasonable to wish for.
[img]http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2012/05/Muramasa-Inline.jpg[/igm]
BIT.TRIP
If you're talking sheer number of installments, no Wii franchise was more prolific through this past generation as Gaijin Games' BIT.TRIP series – it kicked off its retro-styled, rhythmic antics in 2009 with BIT.TRIP BEAT, then traveled on through the releases of CORE, VOID, RUNNER, FATE and finally FLUX over the course of two years. Then, just to wrap things up, the BIT.TRIP COMPLETE compilation disc brought all the WiiWare originals together in one physical package. Wii got a lot of Commander Video.
And we're likely going to be getting more. Though Gaijin has yet to confirm it officially, the team has already been hinting heavily that their in-development sequel to RUNNER (fully titled "BIT.TRIP Presents RUNNER 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien") is already in the works for Wii U. Here's hoping E3 offers us final word on that, and that even more from this team is in store in the future.
Sidescroller Revivals
OK, so I'm cheating on this one a little bit, as these games are all technically in different franchises. But the spirit behind them is the same – bringing back the simple joy of 2D side-scrolling fun. After New Super Mario Bros. Wii got the ball rolling in 2009, other classic 2D platformers kept the momentum going – Rayman Origins, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns. Each one took the template of older, classic run-and-jumps and breathed new life into them for today's audiences with enchanced graphics and multiplayer support.
We already know two follow-ups in this category are on the way, as New Super Mario Bros. Mii and Rayman Legends have already been revealed. But Epic Yarn and DKC Returns both deserve encore installments too – and let's hope that there are other classic side-scrollers being reinvented and reimagined for Wii U behind the scenes as we speak, too.
Wii Sports
If we're honoring what Wii did best, though, we can't wrap things up here without hoping for a little more Wii Sports action. Motion control won't be the focus for the Wii U any more, but its continued compatibility with Wii Remote controllers (and the fact that Nintendo seems to have finally mastered motion with Skyward Sword) have us hoping that there may be one last trip to the world of virtual athletics ahead of us.
Nintendo's already tipped its hand a bit here, too, if you remember back to last year's debut trailer for the Wii U – when it showed off a new golf game that used the Wii Remote and new tablet controller together. Will we see the final form of that brief teaser soon? We only have a few weeks left to wait.
So, while we're dreaming, why not pick some top contenders? These are our choices for the Wii series that most deserve an encore appearance on Wii U.
Super Mario Galaxy
Nintendo shocked and surprised fans of the platforming plumber with the unveiling of Super Mario Galaxy 2 at E3 2009, as it was a mold-breaking moment for the company – Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine had both stood alone as the only 3D Mario platformers in the two previous generations, so no one expected a "2" would ever appear for even the great Galaxy. Now that numbered Mario sequels are back in style, though (evidenced even further by the announcement of New Super Mario Bros. 2 a few weeks ago), we'd love to see Mario sent back to space one more time.
Does that mean we're simply wishing for Super Mario Galaxy 3 on Wii U? Well, no. Not exactly. Our real hope is that Wii U's 3D Mario game, when it gets one, will do something truly new and unique with our favorite red-capped hero. But the groundbreaking spherical worlds and brilliant gravity manipulation of the Galaxy games shouldn't be forgotten if Mario's next adventure is brought back down to Earth (because really, where else can he go?). Let's hope Galaxy's best ideas live on beyond the generation transition in some form, not getting left behind and forgotten like, say, Sunshine's F.L.U.D.D.
Muramasa: The Demon Blade
One game we'd be happy to see get a direct, numbered sequel on Wii U would be 2009's brilliant Muramasa: The Demon Blade by Vanillaware. You remember this one, of course, because it boldly pushed striking, epic, hand-drawn 2D art as its main selling point on Wii – a system no one else was really willing to develop for on the strength of its visual ability.
Having a follow-up on Wii U eliminates that old issue, of course, as Nintendo's next console is finally entering the HD age – its support for high-definition resolutions would make a sequel pop off the screen (or screens) like never before. Will it happen? Well, Vanillaware has no track record of making direct numbered sequels, so "Muramasa 2" probably wouldn't come to pass. Another thematically similar, spiritual follow-up, though, seems perfectly reasonable to wish for.
[img]http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2012/05/Muramasa-Inline.jpg[/igm]
BIT.TRIP
If you're talking sheer number of installments, no Wii franchise was more prolific through this past generation as Gaijin Games' BIT.TRIP series – it kicked off its retro-styled, rhythmic antics in 2009 with BIT.TRIP BEAT, then traveled on through the releases of CORE, VOID, RUNNER, FATE and finally FLUX over the course of two years. Then, just to wrap things up, the BIT.TRIP COMPLETE compilation disc brought all the WiiWare originals together in one physical package. Wii got a lot of Commander Video.
And we're likely going to be getting more. Though Gaijin has yet to confirm it officially, the team has already been hinting heavily that their in-development sequel to RUNNER (fully titled "BIT.TRIP Presents RUNNER 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien") is already in the works for Wii U. Here's hoping E3 offers us final word on that, and that even more from this team is in store in the future.
Sidescroller Revivals
OK, so I'm cheating on this one a little bit, as these games are all technically in different franchises. But the spirit behind them is the same – bringing back the simple joy of 2D side-scrolling fun. After New Super Mario Bros. Wii got the ball rolling in 2009, other classic 2D platformers kept the momentum going – Rayman Origins, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns. Each one took the template of older, classic run-and-jumps and breathed new life into them for today's audiences with enchanced graphics and multiplayer support.
We already know two follow-ups in this category are on the way, as New Super Mario Bros. Mii and Rayman Legends have already been revealed. But Epic Yarn and DKC Returns both deserve encore installments too – and let's hope that there are other classic side-scrollers being reinvented and reimagined for Wii U behind the scenes as we speak, too.
Wii Sports
If we're honoring what Wii did best, though, we can't wrap things up here without hoping for a little more Wii Sports action. Motion control won't be the focus for the Wii U any more, but its continued compatibility with Wii Remote controllers (and the fact that Nintendo seems to have finally mastered motion with Skyward Sword) have us hoping that there may be one last trip to the world of virtual athletics ahead of us.
Nintendo's already tipped its hand a bit here, too, if you remember back to last year's debut trailer for the Wii U – when it showed off a new golf game that used the Wii Remote and new tablet controller together. Will we see the final form of that brief teaser soon? We only have a few weeks left to wait.