After so much speculation and mystery, Nintendo finally confirmed that Game Boy Advance games would start appearing on the Wii U’s Virtual Console service, starting this April! They also announced the first three offerings, which are Metroid Fusion, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi’s Island, with more promised to follow soon.
This is very exciting news for players who have long awaited for the delivery of this promise! Here’s hoping that games like Golden Sun, Wario Land 4 and Advance Wars aren’t far behind!
A lengthy new trailer demonstrated all sorts of new tracks and gameplay for Mario Kart 8, another highly anticipated Nintendo exclusive that has received an odd lack of press, considering the series’ acclaim and following. Nonetheless, an exciting development was revealed for this anticipated kart racer, confirming that none other than Bowser’s seven Koopalings would be playable characters! Exciting!
The diverse array of tracks was already fun to look forward to, but the addition of the Koopalings is sure to only get Nintendo fans all the more excited! Nintendo only stoked demand when they confirmed a release date for Mario Kart 8, which will come to Wii U on May 30th, likely becoming a much-needed multiplayer craze for the console!
Shown next was an extended Japanese gameplay clip that shed some light on the mysterious Monolith Soft RPG in development for Wii U, simply known as ‘X‘ at this point. The battle system is a hybrid of real-time and turn-based combat, incorporating both on-foot characters and summoned mechs into battles against huge monsters in breathtaking environments. Surprising no one, the battle system is also inspired by Monolith Soft’s own Wii RPG opus, Xenoblade Chronicles, but will contain even more refinement and polish.
X still remains a very mysterious game with many questions left unanswered, but it remains one of the most promising and intriguing hardcore offerings in development for Wii U! The game is still on track for release sometime this year, and Nintendo has urged its fans to stay tuned for updates.
We have to say, we only get more excited for X every time we hear something new about it, and the mystery only makes us want it more!
The final game showcased during this Direct was another highly anticipated Wii U exclusive, Bayonetta 2, with a new trailer finally teasing details of the game’s story. Apparently, Bayonetta’s rival, Jeanne has been captured by some mysterious force, and the Lumen Sages, thought to be wiped out in the first game, are revealed to still be alive and operating in some capacity. Not only that, but they seem to be able to summon the boss fiends that Bayonetta battled against in the first game!
While showing off the game, the new Umbran Climax feature was demonstrated, allowing players to charge and release all of their magical energy into one mighty attack, as well as the return of Witch Time, which temporarily slows down enemies when you dodge attacks at the last possible moment. It certainly seems like Bayonetta 2 is well on its way to capturing the same spirit and action-packed fun as its Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 predecessor, and it still stands as one of the best games to look forward to on Wii U this year!
Unfortunately, a release window still wasn’t set, as Bayonetta 2 was still simply confirmed to be releasing sometime in 2014. Still, it’s very exciting to know that we’ll have this hot Wii U-exclusive sequel within the year!