Despite what some people might be saying over the internet right now, I think Nintendo Land is going to amazingly fun. Yes it’s a casual game, and a lot of folks are against simple fun, but the way I’ve always seen games like this, Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, etc. is that they serve as really fun toys and experiments with new concepts. For the developers, it’s a good way to gauge what ideas people like and what ideas should be trashed. For example, when Wii Sports Resort game out, sword fighting, bowling, frisbee tossing, all seemed to play an important role in crafting the The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
A New Disneyland for a Digital Age?
So Nintendo Land obviously has some cool ideas that I can see as a main feature in another game, like the invisible character gameplay in the Luigi’s Mansion game and dual character control with the Animal Crossing one. So, while we know what The Zelda inspired game is and the F-Zero inspired one, what other Nintendo franchises could (or should) be in Nintendo Land and what would their games be like.
1) Metroid: Samus vs. Ridley
Although, it probably wouldn’t look this badass.
So, this game could one of two ways. Either be like that show floor Wii U demo last year at E3, except this time the four Wii remote players will be fighting off Ridley, who is game pad player.The Samus’ (or maybe a Samus and GF troopers) players will aim with the Wii remotes like the Metroid Prime games, while the game pad player gets to fly around, breathing fire, tail stabbing, and just generally being a bad ass.
The other way I was thinking it could be done is that the four players are Space Pirates and the gamepad player is Samus. The four pirates would outnumber Samus, but Samus would be able to use the game pad to use x-ray and thermal visors (like in Metroid Prime) use panorama view to aim and the touch screen to tap and lock on with missiles.
2) Kid Icarus Underworld Invasion
Looks like Kid Icarus might not have to wait another 25 years to get another similar experience.
If a Kid Icarus Uprising game is present (which I don’t think it is), then the only way I think it could be done is with the four Wii remote players will play as an angel fighting off hordes of Underworld forces, the game pad player takes the role of Paluetena, guiding the Pit’s flight path through crazy levels by drawing them with the touch pad. If planned right, the level’s could have patches of waves of enemies, huge bosses, or tricky caves and canyons that might put difficult obstacles for the angel’s to avoid. This would definitely show off how the game pad can work with the Wii remotes to provide a really different, but equally important role in teamwork.
3) Flight of the Great Fox
Now when the Great Fox will cover you, it will mean it.
Like the Kid Icarus example, the Wii remote players will pilot Arwings but this time in all-range mode, able to fly wherever they want. Meanwhile, the gamepad player is in the Great Fox, able to shoot lasers, drop supplies, and other classic Great Fox abilities. The game will play out where the Great Fox is trying to get from one end of the stage to the other to destroy a Venom base, while the Arwings protect him from the tiny enemies that he can’t deal with himself. The reason why I think this would be cool is because having priority targets like in Uncharted 3′s V.I.P.s or HVT in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, but since they’re just as frail as regular players, it’s usually the best way for the opposing team to get points. Escort missions with NPC’s are just boring, so this way, escort missions can be really different than normal and probably much more fun.
4) Endless Mario
Although not quite Infinite Mario
Sometimes one of the cooler gameplay experiences involve taking the role of the bad guys. In the classic 2-D Mario games, the bad guys range from just m
ore than the goombas and koopa troopas, but the level itself. That’s why I think while the Wii remote players will play the game like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but the gamepad player will have a set of level parts where they can place them and make adjustments like enemies, elevation and speed. That means that the faster that the Wii remote play, the less time the game pad player will have. It can either run on a time limit or a last man standing style to determine the winner.
Well, that’s all I can think of right now. The Wii U seems like it’s going to offer a lot of cool new ways to play games, especially against each other. Also, you might be able to tell that I am writing my second Wii U article, so my interests are pretty evident. If you have any suggestions for what the next Speculation Friday article, leave a comment or email us at [email protected]
