This Is What The First Half of 2015 Looks Like For Nintendo

Wii U

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
February 13th, 2015

Mario Maker
Q2 2015

Project CARS
March 17th, 2015

Splatoon
Q2 2015

Yoshi's Woolly World
Q2 2015

3DS

Code Name S.T.E.A.M.
March 13th, 2015

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Q2 2015

SteamWorld Heist
Q1 2015

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
Q2 2015

Multiplatform

Citizens of Earth
January 20th, 2015

Mighty No. 9
Q2 2015

The first half of 2015 looks like it has a lot of variety. New IPs, reinventions of old classics, unique takes on classic series, and indie titles!

I'm looking forward to a number of games on this list. There's a good chunk to play if you own both platforms. Even if you only own one, you'll still have stuff to play on either. I'm sure more games indie games will get put onto the eShop in the coming months as well.

What's the game your looking forward to playing the most? I'd have to say Majora's Mask 3D. I never played the original game on the N64 and after the Ocarina of Time 3D remaster, I was hoping for a Majora's Mask remake as well. I've heard from many that this is one of (if not) the best Zelda game too, so I'm super excited to play it for the first time.

I hope Project Cars does release in the first half of this year for the Wii U. I have heard that the developers still plan on delaying the Wii U version to release the PS4/XBONE versions sooner.

I also hope that that 90's Racing Game arcade racer releases on the Wii U as well as Shin'en's Fast Racing League Wii U.

Finally, I look forward to seeing how Citizens of Earth turns out. If it is well-received I will eventually get it on Wii U.

On the 3DS side of things, I look forward to seeing how Codename STEAM turns out.

Mario Maker has me drooling. I've wanted something like this for ages.

Only Kirby and Yoshi interest me, but they're for wii u owners, not something to drive to buy a wii u

Kirby, Yoshi, and Zelda for me! I am a die hard platforming fan but I don't really care about the mario maker TBH

@Raptor_Herc:

Directly from the devs website:

http://www.projectcarsgame.com/game-info.html

Project Cars is MULTIPLATFORM, just fyi. In fact , according to the developers as of today Project Cars is releasing on March 17th only for the PS4/PC/Xbone. The Steam/Wii U will get late ports sometime later in 2015 and not on March 17th at all.

You have a separate "multiplatform" area in your OP and you listed the game as a Wii U title instead of a mutliplatform title which it is. Also, the date is wrong in your OP according to the devs.

@SolidTy: I guess that more or less confirms their plans to delay the release of the Wii U version. Let's just hope it does not get delayed by several months à la Watchdogs.

@SolidTy said:

@Raptor_Herc:

@haziqagha said:

Wii U

Project CARS

March 17th, 2015

Multiplatform

Citizens of Earth

January 20th, 2015

Directly from the devs website:

http://www.projectcarsgame.com/game-info.html

Project Cars is MULTIPLATFORM, just fyi. In fact , according to the developers as of today Project Cars is releasing on March 17th only for the PS4/PC/Xbone. The Steam/Wii U will get late ports sometime later in 2015 and not on March 17th at all.

You have a separate "multiplatform" area in your OP and you listed the game as a Wii U title instead of a mutliplatform title which it is. Also, the date is wrong in your OP according to the devs.

Yes, it is a direct confirmation from the developers. We can hope it's not going to be several months like Watchdogs, but as we can see above the devs gave themselves the entire year of 2015. As long as it's good though, I guess people will be happy.

@SolidTy said:

Directly from the devs website:

http://www.projectcarsgame.com/game-info.html

Project Cars is MULTIPLATFORM, just fyi. In fact , according to the developers as of today Project Cars is releasing on March 17th only for the PS4/PC/Xbone. The Steam/Wii U will get late ports sometime later in 2015 and not on March 17th at all.

You have a separate "multiplatform" area in your OP and you listed the game as a Wii U title instead of a mutliplatform title which it is. Also, the date is wrong in your OP according to the devs.

In the context of this board, I used the multiplatform header to distinguish games that were on both the 3DS and Wii U.

In terms of the date, I just took the date from GameSpot's page listing, I don't know much about the game to begin with, just that people are generally excited for it.

@haziqagha said:

@SolidTy said:

Directly from the devs website:

http://www.projectcarsgame.com/game-info.html

Project Cars is MULTIPLATFORM, just fyi. In fact , according to the developers as of today Project Cars is releasing on March 17th only for the PS4/PC/Xbone. The Steam/Wii U will get late ports sometime later in 2015 and not on March 17th at all.

You have a separate "multiplatform" area in your OP and you listed the game as a Wii U title instead of a mutliplatform title which it is. Also, the date is wrong in your OP according to the devs.

In the context of this board, I used the multiplatform header to distinguish games that were on both the 3DS and Wii U.

In terms of the date, I just took the date from GameSpot's page listing, I don't know much about the game to begin with, just that people are generally excited for it.

I see, you adjusted the meaning of multiplatform for this thread which I understand now due to your answer. The problem is that others like myself can get confused by the word since it means something other than what you are using it for, in fact this particular Project Cars game has been touted as an exclusive for Wii U in many, many threads so it's confusing on who knows the truth about the title. So many threads, each with their unique rules. It's fine though as I understand what you meant with your answer, but unfortunately the word multiplatform means "software program is developed for multiple operating systems" and in the consumer gaming market multiplatform means "games that run on more than one gaming machine." I just wanted to explain why there is confusion but not rain down on any parade.

Regarding the release date of the Project Cars game: The source I posted is directly from the developer leaving no room for error and your source is this gaming site which is full of errors that get pointed out to staff all the time (as with any site). I just was trying to avoid or at least diminish the inevitable backlash of users from being mislead by an incorrect date (especially a date that apparently Gamespot.com has been inaccurately advertising to potential buyers and users). It will be corrected eventually, by someone I assume that gets paid by this website. You probably know how that goes as users get suffer disappointment and proceed to do "angry-entitlement" postings when their game doesn't release when they last heard it was due. I suspect like many games before, when March 17th comes to pass and the Wii U version of the game doesn't release there will be problems, especially at this site since they've not updated the date. The sooner people realize Project Cars is not releasing March 17th on Wii U and get over it, the better this board will be.

At the very least, the timeline for Project Cars you laid out for this thread has been corrected. You are right, some people are excited for the game.

Happy gaming. :)

Most of my excitement on your list is probably Kirby, but I'm still unsure about this new one until I try it as I'm an old-school Kirby fan.

@SolidTy: Yeah, I forgot GameSpot publishes new posts under the entire forums so people might have been confused by that, but I meant it in the context of this thread.

Sucks about the release date though.

Kirby, Yoshi, and Mario Maker should be solid titles to keep my occupied for the first half of the year.

Yes, it does suck about the release date, for sure.

Yoshi and Splatoon I'm intrigued by as well. :P

Only Mario maker and Splatoon interest me from that list on the Wii U. Lame list for the Wii U. :p

Yea Project Cars delayed...to later 2015. :(

Yoshi's Woolly World looks utterly delightful, but aside from that, nothing really jumps out at me. Ah, can't forget Majora's Mask either, my bad!

Kirby and yoshi both look very nice visually, but gameplay...

Interested to see what people think of splatoon when it's out, I don't want to buy it at full price though.

I'm pretty much just down for Zelda and fox, hope they announce something else though :/

Interested in Code Name STEAm and Steamworld Heist, assuming that's a continuation of Steamworld Dig. But Majora's Mask is a definite buy for me. As soon as we get a release date, I'm preordering the special edition, assuming it's available in America.

Kirby, Yoshi, and Mario maker are solid for the Wii U, but i thought they were expecting 1 major release per month. I'm hoping maybe we see xenoblade , Star Fox and a surprise release before July 2015. Might be wishful thinking though. There's Mario Party too, which i think they may rush out to continue the Amiibo Craze.

I don't think i'll pick up Kirby/Yoshi day 1, but Mario Maker sees like a must buy.

The only first half of 2015 games that really interests me is Code Name STEAM and Mighty No. 9.

The 2nd half is where it's at... Xenoblade Chronicles X, Zelda WiiU, and Star Fox!!

Also, I have my fingers crossed that at E3 we'll finally get some kind of Metroid announcement and hopefully the true WiiU successor to Mario Galaxy. As good as 3D World looks (I have not played it), I still wouldn't call it the console's main Mario game, I still think that has yet to be announced.

Nintendo has said there will be no new mario platformers 'til the next console

Next console? I thought they just said no Mario games coming out in 2015. I find it hard to believe that a true successor to Mario 64, Sunshine, and the Galaxies will not make it's way to a generation of consoles.

Zelda, Yoshi and Splatoon are all at the top of my list.

is there any chance, even a whiff, that MH4 is coming to the wiiu?

if not im getting ti for my 3DS. loved MH3.

Sweet! Looks like a nice set of games (obviously not much in terms of quantity though). I'm most interested in Splatoon.

it's in here

Granted he did not flat out say there would be no new mario game for Wii U it is heavily implied.

Frankly, I don't want another Mario on Wii U because I don't want more gamepad gimmicks. Wii U just needs to get out of the way asap :p

@Chozofication: Nah, I disagree. It's not implied at all. We all know that Nintendo starts working on the next gen hardware immediately once they launch a new console; they've said that in years past.

What I take out of that article is they are going to make sure that there is a core Mario game available at the launch of the next console and that it'll be a bit different.

It does not mean that there will be no core Mario game for WiiU.

I bet Nintendo doesn't even announce their next console until E3 2016 and it won't be released until 2017.

Just my opinion. I have nothing to base it on other than their past track record.

@roboccs: Well if they do make one for Wii U I hope it's Galaxy 3 and you use the wii mote for control. I doubt that would happen though :p

That's a painfully weak first half. There should be a key title released sometime near April/May to hold the summer before the fall and winter periods.

It's a foregone conclusion at this point that Zelda will come next winter, and Starfox will likely be a fall title. So this is another dry spell for the Wii U. I just purchased one, so I have a back catalog to make my way through. However, this kind of sucks.

Bleh, that's a pretty sad selection. Not like the other two systems can do much better though, lol. Hopefully nintendo gets some better releases later on in the year then.

Project Cars was said to be coming LAST for Wii U and PC (Steam) both would come AFTER the XBOX ONE and PS4 versions.

Project Cars was said to be coming LAST for Wii U and PC (Steam) both would come AFTER the XBOX ONE and PS4 versions.

3D World IS THE Wii U'S MAIN MARIO GAME. It's just as good as Galaxy, but doesn't surpass it. It's fine, we don't need more Mario. Miyamoto said the next Mario will be waiting for us on the next home console, so it will likely be a launch game. Also even if one came out in 2016, it takes 3 years or so to make a main Mario game, seeing as the Wii U's last year will be 2017 AT BEST that leaves no time to develop another Mario game. Nintendo doesn't work on 2 Mario games at once so....nope, no more Mario which is fine by me, I could go 9 years without one like poor old Starfox lol.

Yeah, I know there will be a main Mario as the next gen Nintendo's main launch title, I get it. But I still don't see any confirmation of there being no more Mario on the Wii U.

I'm not even saying I'm dying for another Mario game, I still haven't played Galaxy 2. I just think that there's still one more Mario left to come for the WiiU.

Mario Maker sounds interesting but I think we need a big Mario in the style of a Mario 64 or Galaxy.

Looks to me like lineups from a couple of tired platforms at this point. As someone that doesn't own either the 3DS or Wii U at the moment, there isn't a game on the list that further entices me to get either of them. The Wii U is relying on mostly spin-offs to get by, while the 3DS just seems like it's throwing whatever it can at a wall and seeing what will stick. Mario Maker and Splatoon may have some slight potential as great games, but they don't come off as must-own projects at this point.

It just feels like Nintendo is gasping for straws with both systems right now. It's going to be hard to get by with 2nd tier franchises and indie titles for the next year or two, but that's really all Nintendo seems to have left. Oh... and Zelda, but if you ask me, that franchise on the borderline of becoming 2nd tier itself in regards to commercial relevance.

@Madmangamer364: Your Zelda comment is nuts...

While I do agree that the first half of 2015 is not that great overall, the 2nd half is going to be great.

Also, the thought of spin-offs being the only thing released is wrong as well. 2014 had some amazing SEQUELS. It's hard to understand just how great Mario Kart8 and Smash Bros were without actually playing them. Before they were released I was not really THAT excited. After playing them my faith in Nintendo was totally restored. The amount of quality those two games alone ooze is amazing in a time where other developers are rushing out UNPLAYABLE games.

Splatoooooon

What's nuts about the Zelda comment? The series is still well-hyped, that's a given, but its relevance has been in decline for some time now. The latest installments haven't proven themselves are major system-selling games, nor do most Zelda games nowadays draw in much more than its loyal fanbase. I think it's a series that has become victimized by the nostalgia of the likes of OoT and ALttP, as those who talk about the series tend to think that it's as important to Nintendo and the industry as it used to be. Keep in mind that I say this despite being a Zelda player myself from time to time.

As far as the spin-off discussion go, I was referring to only this year. However, since you've shifted the subject to last year's sequels, I played the new SSB just yesterday. Enjoyable, yes, but I'm no more psyched about playing it than I was Brawl for the Wii seven years ago. Heck, my excitement was actually toned down a bit for the Wii U version when I found myself fighting with the Gamepad's size more than the characters on the screen. So yeah, I do have experience now, but it's not really my point to begin with. Keep in mind that the Wii U is only two years old, and it has already exhausted its strongest console franchises while seeing worse-than-typical commercial results from those games. Even worse, it doesn't seem like Nintendo is going to be trying to re-invent the wheel and come out with very many original games between now and the Wii U's departure. I'm all for playing sequels in relative moderation, but there has to be SOMETHING else to keep me excited about a game system nowadays. Otherwise, I can just wait until next-gen, where the games will only get prettier and crammed with more content.

What a barren lineup. Yeah, the first party stuff is there, but that's about it.

@Madmangamer364: Have to disagree with you MMG, Zelda at the launch of the Wii was a huge part in its success. And I would attribute the 3DS' ongoing success is largely due in part to release like A Link Between World. I wouldn't say the reaction or non reaction to Skyward Sword is a sign of Zelda losing steam as a system seller. You have to remember that it as well as Wind Waker were very polarizing entry's in the series and would of course, not see the success that OoT and Twilight Princess saw. We have to see what kind of reaction this next one causes, it already seems to be leaning more towards the TP/OoT reaction despite the colorful artstyle.

As far as the top half the year goes, its always a slower turnaround right after the holiday overflow. No one is exactly having a massive first half, but everyone has something to be interested in. On the Nintendo front: MH4, Mario Maker, Splatoon and MM really have my attention. I'll keep an eye on Wooly World.

@Madmangamer364: I apologize, after reading my comment over again it did sound kind of snarky and I didn't mean for it to.

I will disagree with the Zelda not being "elite". I think the hype that it generates and peoples enthusiasm for the series is what helps put it in that category.

The fact that you didn't think Smash was anything special also comes down to preference. I was never into the series at all so I thought I would give it a spin this time around and I find it to be very addicting and way more fun than I thought.

You do make a great point that the platform has already released some of it's main attractions already and still haven't seen great sales, that is definitely a concern. There is still time for some more great games to come out. 2015 has at least 3 that I'm interested in and those include Star Fox, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and Zelda. Since I don't have as much time these days to cram in game after game, once these games come out I'll be set for a long time probably.

Also, I would be surprised if something Metroid related wasn't announced eventually for WiiU or 3DS. I also believe that we haven't seen the last of Mario but a lot of people don't think there will be a true successor to the Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy series until Nintendo's next console.

Now that the Direct has come out, does anyone have an updated list? Unless Mario Maker comes out in June, it will miss the Q2 projection. This Direct went as far as May and there was no mention of it.

@Sepewrath:

Twilight Princess was very successful, yes, but it was also a heavily-hyped game that ended up being a two-platform title, one of which happens to be the insanely popular Wii. That's not to dismiss its success, but it had some benefactors. As for ALBW, it's hard to say any game has been that huge of a title for the 3DS, considering how over-exaggerated most people view the platform's success; I dare say it played no bigger role to where the portable is now than any of the system's other "big" games. That aside, we're still cherry-picking two games atm; the rest of the series has seen its ups and downs commercially, and it's becoming harder to determine exactly what impact the series has. The fact that we have to even mention an artstyle also suggests that the series' popularity has become somewhat artificial because of a "mature" look, rather than the content each game provides.

As far as the first half of the year goes, you're right in saying that this typically isn't the time where the heavy hitters are released, but it's also not as if Nintendo is getting any kind of complimentary support from its "partners" these days. Since the company can no longer sit on games like Wii Fit and NSMB Wii, which were top selling titles months after the initial release, it's crucial that Nintendo pumps out software that can actually to attract new consumers, which nothing in the upcoming first half of 2015 lineup is poised to do. This may do for some Wii U owners, but that still doesn't make it adequate as a whole.

@roboccs

You're fine. No offense taken, really. :)

The problem Zelda faces when it concerns being an "elite" franchise is how inconsistent it has become in various fashions. In contrast, Mario games are usually released with less fanfare, but rarely disappoints from a critical or commercial point of view. While it's possible that many Zelda critics are being hard on certain games, it has lately had a number of games that have been met with some critical struggles; and the sales of Zelda games tend to always fall short of the Mario and Pokemon titles, which are no doubt Nintendo's strongest two franchises. It's still "solid," and I would put it above a series like Metroid, which has struggled even more to find a consistent audience lately, but I still believe Zelda's best days have long passed.

Yeah, the whole thing about Smash Bros. is a matter of preference, but that's the problem with using a handful of games as a selling or argument point. No matter how great you may think SSB Wii U and Mario Kart 8 are, they're still only two games that may not be as important to others. Unfortunately, Nintendo also seems to be thinking that it can get by with prettier versions of established franchises, and this is part of the reason why the Wii U can't seem to find its way into new homes, even during the holidays. Those who have the system have pretty much anticipated that Mario, Smash Bros., Mario Kart, and Zelda coming anyway; the question is how does Nintendo exceed anyone's expectations moving forward? Frankly, I just don't think they do, as they haven't done it to this point with their best brands already taking their swings.

We desperately need that. Especially considering the quality that was Galaxy 1 and 2. No knock on 3D World, it's not the same. At all.

Outside of Majoras Mask and MH4 the first half of 2015 actually looks pretty meh (Splatoon still hasn't sold me yet), it's all about that 2nd half with Xenoblade Chronicles X, Zelda U (hopefully), Star Fox, New Fire Emblem (hopefully), Steamworld Heist and Xenoblade Chronicles 3DS (hopefully).

@Madmangamer364: Well when it comes to TP, it was a big part of the Wii being popular. Remember, a huge part of the Wii's success came when people came to someones house and played Wii Sports. Those people had the Wii and Wii Sports because Zelda launched with it. Without Zelda at launch, I don't know if the Wii would have been the phenomenon that it was. Of course we could never know, but that's what it looks like. Now for Zelda Wii U, its far too late for it to have that impact, where it can make the system. But it is being massively hyped and if Nintendo plays their cards right, it could be more hyped than TP. That will move systems just like TP did, but of course, it wont be accompanied by a Wii Sports to propel it to the masses after that. And I would say the system has definitely started to rebound because of those big hitters. I would hate to see where it would be without Mario Kart and Smash Brothers and apparently these Amiibo's. Its very reminiscent of the PS3 early on, it was a slow burn before it finally started to find success.

@Sepewrath: First off, the PS3 struggled because it was too expensive and had trouble getting games to work on it. Granted, the Wii U could claim the latter to the degree, but the system has never had the type of demand that the PS3 did. Secondly, there's the matter of the Wii's success and TP's success on it; the situation is really a "chicken or the egg" argument as to what truly helped what, but it goes to say that most of Nintendo's franchises took off on the Wii simply because of the system's mass market appeal. Heck, Donkey Kong had a multi-million seller on the Wii in the latter stages of its life, and the system's biggest titles managed to sell tens of millions on a single platform. I think it goes without saying that the Wii would have been ok had TP not been around, even if it did play a part in getting some dedicated players to take the system more seriously for a time.

It'll be interesting to see just how well the new Zelda does. Much like I've been with everything Wii U related to this point, I'm going to remain on the not-so-optimistic side. Afterwards, we can re-ignite this discussion about just how important of a franchise Zelda really is these days.