Wii U's 5 Potential Killer Apps, if Released

By Jonathan Charles | Jul 10, 2012 01:44 PM EDT

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Despite over half of 2012 gone, and the Wii U - Nintendo's next-generation gaming console - releasing by the end 2012, launch titles are one aspect of the console Nintendo's is hiding. It unveiled some original games such as New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Pikmin 3, but what should Nintendo be developing for the console?

2D Zelda

The 3-dimensional Legend of Zelda games takes years to develop, typically appearing once on Nintendo's console, but the 2D Zelda titles have been confined to handhelds recently - Minish Cap, Phantom Hourglass - yet have consistently been great (Spirit Tracks aside). Shigeru Miyamoto has spoken before about wanting to do a title similar to A Link to the Past, one of strongest Legend Zelda titles ever. Such a title would generate incredible hype around the Wii and, most importantly, sell.

Super Mario Galaxy 3

Nintendo typically releases two 3D Zelda titles during a console's life cycle - the Wii had Twilight Princess, which was designed for the GameCube and ported to Wii, and Skyward Sword, while the Nintendo 64 had Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask -, and Mario games release pretty frequently because of the different types of experiences Nintendo is creating with the famous plumber: there's the 3D games like Super Mario Galaxy 2 and 2D titles such as a New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Nintendo showed off the latter's successor at E3 - New Super Mario Bros. U - but it felt a little underwhelming even if it will probably sell heavily.

A sequel to Super Mario Galaxy 2 would be the filler title before the new 3D Mario title, building on what Super Mario Galaxy 2 did. That may sound impossible considering many critics saw the title as platforming perfection, but then that was an opinion held by some over the original Super Mario Galaxy.

Third-Party Exclusives

Nintendo has recognised that the Wii and preceding console's failed to gain mass third-party support, but the announcement of games such as Batman: Arkham City: Armored Edition and Assassin's Creed 3 for the console feels like Nintendo is catching up to competitors. Those competitors, Microsoft and Sony, have the mind share when it comes to buying third-party games. Therefore there's little reason to buy the Wii U, especially if it's comparable in graphical power to current HD console, so a third-party exclusive title with consumer awareness would be the way to gain attention.

Majora's Mask HD

The creators of the for-a-moment-it-seemed-real The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask re-release trailer has since revealed a project is being built for Nintendo for consideration, suggesting a HD facelift - or perhaps a rebuilt games like Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - is happening. Many fans regard Majora's Mask as better than Ocarina of Time, which sold well in its remastered form on the Nintendo 3DS.

Online With Matchmaking, Party Chat, Active Marketplace

Miiverse seemed a little feature light at E3 2012 because Nintendo didn't show basic features such as party chat, the digital store or how matchmaking will be approached. Nintendo seems to be striving for a community feel as users can share feelings and questions on titles in-game, but if users can't connect to other players or easily download digital games then attracting the core audience from Microsoft and Sony will be difficult.