With the release of Nintendos latest console only a few month away, and the full line-up of launch titles confirmed, the Internet is ablaze with speculation about how Nintendos latest titles will fare on the new platform. The line-up of games coming to the Wii U includes new entries into the Super Mario Bros. and Pikmin franchises, alongside third-party titles such as Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Fifa 13. However, even with such an impressive release roster, there are a few of Nintendos biggest franchises which are noticeably absent from the list.
1. Legend of Zelda
Alongside Mario, the Legend of Zelda is almost synonymous with Nintendo itself, and remains one of the companys most successful franchises to date. Whilst anonymous sources have claimed that a Wii U Zelda game is in development for a 2014 release, I believe that having such a game as part of the consoles launch line-up would be a guaranteed way to generate interest and boost sales from day one. This would also allow Nintendo to work on another Zelda title for release part way through the Wii Us lifespan, which would generate further interest and sales at a later date. Whilst a large part of Nintendos market focusses on casual gamers, they still need to cater for the fans who have followed series such as the Legend of Zelda since the early days. Having a Zelda game as part of the launch line-up would guarantee that these people buy the console on day one, rather than waiting for a later release date or a console price drop. Although it would be an absolute travesty if Nintendo rushed production in order to have a Zelda game ready for a day-one release, the WiiU has been in development for quite some time, and a new adventure featuring everyones favourite green-clothed hero should have been a priority for release-day.