Nintendo Continues Their Key Franchises Through the Wii U System to 2014 and Beyond

Nintendo is the home of Mario, Zelda, Yoshi, Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong, and a whole wide collection of famed iconic characters through their video game inception in the early 80’s. Nintendo is first out of the gates with the next generation of consoles, besting Sony and Microsoft with their future generation Wii U console.

Wii U sales have been sluggish at best, but Nintendo hopes to bring a grater fan base to the system by continuing a few of their tent pole franchises.

Mario: The famed plumber has been in the stars and on the DS in recent years with the Super Mario Galaxy and New Super Mario Bros. series, respectively. Yet Nintendo promises a brand new 3d Mario title, which will likely open up a new franchise itself within the Mario universe. It is expected to be very action orientated. This is all we have so far.

Zelda: The Ocarina of Time became one of the greatest video games of all time over a decade ago, and Nintendo hopes to continue the famous series into the Wii U. The company is planning two new Zelda titles. One is a bit odd- a remake of the Gamecube title Windwaker, which caused a stir upon release, and Nintendo is banking on its popularity enough to reinvent the game for the Wii U. The next is a brand new series installment. Rumors abound that it will include competitive multiplayer, an open world approach, and heavy reliance on the Wii U’s motion control mechanics.

Other titles on the shortlist are a new Mario Kart Wii, a new Yoshi adventure title, and a whole new exploration of the newer Wii Party multiplayer series. Rumors still circulate on a Wii U follow-up to Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but none of the rumors have cemented anything other than a “coming soon”.