2015 truly was the definition of an up and down year for the Nintendo Wii U, as while we got fantastic games like Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, and Xenoblade Chronicles X, we also had disappointments like Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash and Mario Party 10. The year certainly would have been very different if not for a few major delays, which now bring us to our top 5 Wii U exclusives coming in 2016.
5) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is nearly 10 years old and that makes it a perfect candidate for a remaster as the Wii launch title that also released on GameCube hasn’t aged all that well, especially compared to say Wind Waker.
A large majority of gamers played the Wii version of this one instead, which makes this one even more intriguing due to the removal of motion controls that is more like the GameCube version, almost making it like playing for the first time even for those who have played before.
The fact that this is a remaster and not a new game is why this one is last on the list, but it is perfectly placed in that March window where we are getting some new games, but not the barrage of later this year.It also sets the plate well for another game to come on this list, essentially serving as the appetizer in 2016.
4) Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem
Earlier this year there were many concerns that this game might have been dead, but Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem was reannounced with a brand new trailer, which has been followed by even more footage since.
This game brings together a very unlikely pairing in Nintendo’s Fire Emblem and Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei, which look like a natural fit through any of the trailers we’ve seen so far.
We don’t have a release date for this one yet, but with Fire Emblem Fates coming in the early part of the year, I would assume they’d space these out, making this one a great option for later in the year if that is what Nintendo chooses to do.
3) Pokken Tournament
While this list is made up of Wii U exclusives, technically Pokken Tournament is available elsewhere through arcades in Japan. However, as a console exclusive on the Wii U, Pokken Tournament absolutely had to be on the list.
Pokken Tournament takes Pokemon and meshes it together with the Tekken franchise for a very interesting fighting game that offers something very different from say Super Smash Bros., including some unlikely fighting choices that will be great to see in action.
Choosing from a roster of playable fighters and support Pokemon, which are far from limited to Fighting types, Pokken Tournament looks like it will be a ton of fun to play when it launches on Wii U this Spring.
2) Star Fox Zero
Originally scheduled to be one of the big Holiday releases for 2015, Star Fox Zero was pushed back to very early 2016 before now being pushed back a few months to Spring.
The Star Fox franchise has been in limbo for awhile, with no releases in years outside of a remake, so this has had Nintendo fans excited for awhile. While the E3 showing earlier this year was underwhelming to say the least, the delay gave the development team plenty of time to polish this game up.
Star Fox Zero is going to offer a few different types of gameplay, which we got to see briefly during the most recent Nintendo Direct. Hopefully more of that will be shown in the next one, as the release date is only a few months away on April 22.
1) The Legend of Zelda Wii U
Everyone knew what the #1 game on this list would be before clicking, as The Legend of Zelda Wii U is one of the most anticipated games of any system from over the last couple years.
Since its unveiling at E3 2013, we have seen very little of the game, which meant we weren’t all that surprised by its delay to 2016. Coinciding with the 30th Anniversary of the Legend of Zelda franchise, it is fitting that the next game in the series would be coming out.
The Legend of Zelda Wii U is going to be the biggest in the series thus far, with the first open world experience for a Zelda game. This is something fans have been begging for and we finally should get our hands on it likely in the later part of 2016.
The only big question here is whether the NX will really come out this year as rumored, which could lead us to having a dual release on Wii U and NX, similar to what happened with Twilight Princess. That would then likely make the NX version the one people would really want, but it is the Wii U game of 2016 we are most excited about regardless.
