2011’s critically acclaimed action-RPG and Wii exclusive, The Last Story, single handedly proved that a Nintendo console could produce deeply captivating and polished titles outside of the platforming genre and without the likes of Mario and Link at the forefront. While the Wii U remains without a concrete release date, the phrase “Holiday 2012” is drawing increasingly closer, and both critics and gamers alike wonder whether the Wii U can succeed where the Wii largely failed – the area of third-party support.
The Last Story lead designer Takuya Matsumoto for one, believes that the Wii U could accomplish this at least within the realm of the RPG, saying that the console could innovate the way RPG games allow players to organize and browse through inventory, “I feel that the Wii U’s interface, as with other tablet devices, works best for browsing and arranging information,” he said.
“One merit is the ability to use a touch screen to directly manipulate information, such as looking up a monster’s weak point or, like with a car’s GPS, as a tool to understand battlefield conditions on a sub screen,” said Matsumoto. “This special feature will likely bring about opportunities for deep research into JRPG strategy.”
While giving users the ability to see unique gameplay options exlusive to the GamePad of the Wii U is something developers consistently discuss when talking about the new opportunities the Wii U control scheme could bring to the table, the concept of being able to quickly navigate inventories is already present. ZombiU for example, the upcoming zombie survival game for the Wii U, has shown in its demos the ability of players to access a backpack holding items and gadgets and subsequently being able to equip those items to the character without ever having to pause.
Source: Siliconera via Joystiq
