Random Thoughts on Wii's Upcoming Releases

Wii owners have had a surprisingly large amount of top-tier titles come from Nintendo in the short time since the system’s launch. In less than a year-and-a-half, we’ve been fortunate enough to experience new entries in the Zelda, Mario, Paper Mario, Metroid and Smash Bros. series. If everything goes as planned, Mario Kart can be added to that list come the end of April. While Nintendo’s urgency to release an update to every one of their blockbuster series has meant great fun for gamers, it does leave one question. What’s next?

A quick glance at Nintendo’s upcoming releases hints that they don’t want you to know the answer to that question. At least, not yet. With the exception of Disaster: Day of Crisis, Nintendo has no announced projects after the May 19 release of Wii Fit. In a recent interview with GameTrailers TV, NOA President Reggie Fils-Aime stated that the lineup of games for the latter half of 2008 will be announced at E3 in July. That means that, for at least a couple of months, the energy of Nintendo fans, which is usually reserved for anticipating upcoming releases, will instead be spent on speculating the possibilities (because, we all know, the energy of gamers can never be used to do anything even remotely productive). Consider these random thoughts the beginning of that speculation.

The most reasonable place to start would be Nintendo’s second-tier franchises that appear most likely to see a Wii edition, based on their recent successes. Animal Crossing, Pikmin, Star Fox, Wave Race and 1080 Snowboarding seem like the most obvious choices for Nintendo to work with.

Of these likely titles, Animal Crossing seems to be the most definite. A second sequel to the cult hit has been hinted at often, but never officially confirmed by the Big N. It is speculated that the game would take full advantage of the Wii Connect 24 online service to allow visits to friends’ towns and interact with them in real-time. It is even possible that the series could take a slightly more MMO approach and allow dozens of people to live within the same village.

An update to the Pikmin series, like the Animal Crossing series, feels more like a question of when than if. Shortly after the Wii’s unique functions were revealed, series-creator Shigeru Miyamoto mentioned that the pointing abilities of the Wii Remote would work well with the RTS style play of the first two games. With this newly added functionality, the next version of Pikmin could allow for more complex levels and strategies.

Though the series has been the subject of a certain amount of ridicule ever since its first GameCube edition, the Star Fox series is another obvious choice for Nintendo to bring to the Wii. Thanks to the identity crisis these games have been having recently, there is no telling what genre the game would be. While the third-person action, adventure and strategy genres lent each of the last three editions a bit of their own unique appeal, I think that it is safe to say that most gamers would prefer a return to the series’ space-shooting roots. Motion controls could add the extra bit of individuality that the series always tries to give each of its games, without venturing into an even more offbeat genre. After all, do we really want a Star Fox music game?

Surprisingly, there has been very little speculation for a new Wave Race. However, it seems like an easy solution to help fill the usual gaming void in the late summer months. The Wii Remote can effortlessly mimic the handlebars on a wave runner, and the game would not require the precision movements of car driving games that have put many gamers off of this control method.

An update to 1080 Snowboarding is a distinct possibility, thanks in part to another one of the Wii’s controller options: the upcoming Wii Balance Board. Those who have experimented with the contraption claim that it could translate very naturally to a snowboarding game, much like it has in the skiing mini-game in Wii Fit. However, a full game release for this title may be pushed aside in favor of a new medium. A 1080, or similar snowboarding game, seems likely to be considered for a release on WiiWare, with additional levels available as downloadable content via Nintendo’s approaching Pay and Play service.

Though it makes the most sense to consider Nintendo’s more recent franchises when contemplating their upcoming releases, it is much more entertaining to imagine the possibilities of the company resurrecting some of their long-forgotten classics. An update to Kid Icarus, Mario Paint, or even Duck Hunt would be sure to bring a smile to any Nintendo gamer’s face.

A new version of Kid Icarus, which is heavily rumored to have been in development for a while, would be the perfect triple-A title to release during 2008’s holiday season. The series’ archery-driven action could be developed into many different styles of gameplay. A Metroid Prime-style first-person adventure could work for the game, as could a Sin and Punishment-style rails shooter, or even a mixture of the two. All that matters is that the game, if it eventually is made, not squander its potential to be the next Nintendo developed powerhouse.

On the complete other end of the gaming spectrum is Mario Paint. The series made the leap to the failed Japan-only Nintendo Disk Drive system in the form of the Mario Artist series. These games let players create a number of different types of artwork, including polygonal 3-D models. A Wii version of the game could include all of the ideas from the Mario Artist series that most gamers never had the chance to experience. However, the core of the game would be the painting mode, which would benefit greatly from using the Wii Remote as a virtual paint brush. Additionally, the Wii’s online capabilities would make it easy to share your masterpieces with friends at any time.

The final game in this speculative piece is probably the least likely to happen, but a new Duck Hunt game would be a notable release for anybody growing up in the eighties. Almost every person from this era has fond memories of bringing the Zapper right up to the television screen to shoot ducks without aiming, and growing angry at your in-game dog when he laughed at you for missing one. The game would require a huge overhaul to give it enough depth for a modern-day console release, though. Giving the game an adventure backdrop with a story about the hunter’s participation in duck-hunting tournaments could do the trick. Or, perhaps, the basic trick-shooting gameplay would be better suited to a lower profile WiiWare release. Either way, I would be happy, just as long as we can finally shoot that darn dog.

I’d like to end this article by opening up the speculation to you readers. What Nintendo games would you like to see updated for release later this year? Be sure to leave a comment and let me know.