Developers talk about how Nintendo’s franchises could work on Wii U
Thus far, we haven’t seen many of Nintendo’s franchises running on Wii U. The company has only released a side-scrolling 2D Mario and has shown Pikmin on the new console.
But what about Nintendo’s other series? Fans are very much interested in seeing what Zelda, Metroid, F-Zero, and others would look like on Wii U.
The same goes for developers. Many have ideas about Nintendo’s many IPs and how they can be brought to the Wii U.
Below you’ll find commentary from creators at Sumo, Q-Games, Gaijin Games, and more, who have shared some of their suggestions.
Ocarina of Time, F-Zero, and Pokémon
“Lens of Truth, Ocarina of Time-style, except you use the GamePad to look around your living room for hidden secrets and fairies. A whole window into another world.” – Steve Lycett, the executive producer on Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
“Thirty-player online F-Zero Wii U: Adjust your car setup anytime in the race, from top speed to acceleration — like you can in F-Zero X, but anytime you like. [It] should have five-player split-screen, too, just like All-Stars Racing Transformed.” – Steve Lycett, the executive producer on Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
“Pass the Pokémon. Tap the GamePad and 3DS together to send Pokémon into your Wii U — sort of like how many people can you get into a phone box, just with Pokémon.” – Steve Lycett, the executive producer on Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Zelda and Super Paper Mario
“I’d like them to make a full Zelda: Four Swords game with it. But I’d also like them to stop making new controllers and just focus on what matters: games.” – Edmund McMillen, the developer of Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac
“A Super Paper Mario sequel where you have the 3D world on your TV and the 2D world on the GamePad. Which world the game focuses on depends on whether you’re using the analog stick or the D-pad. Also, a Zelda sequel where they have the map and a touch-controlled item select screen on the GamePad at all times to reduce the amount of time wasted in menus.” – Robert Boyd, one of the developers at Zeboyd Games who worked on Penny Arcade Adventures
Metroid and Clubhouse Games
“I haven’t had much time to put a lot of thought into how games might use the GamePad, but I personally wouldn’t mind seeing the return of the Metroid Prime series. The combination of touchscreen as map/navigation and controller makes a lot of sense for a game like that. I’m sure developers will come up with more unique uses for it, though.” – James Mielke, the PixelJunk producer at Q-Games
“A couple of us at the office talked about it, and so far our favorite would be a new 2D Metroid in HD on the TV that’s way overdue to be made with the map for it on the GamePad. Also, if we could ever require more than one GamePad at a time, playing something like Clubhouse Games with virtual hands that you can keep secret from your friends would be rad.” – Alex Neuse, the co-founder of Gaijin Games
