GIANT MECHS. Also, Cloud Joined the Fight
Shortly thereafter, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash made its debut, disappointing longtime fans of the series. Players got great Mario Tennis mechanics, but that’s it. It left little to the imagination by playing it very safe, with no significantly game-changing modes, and almost every court looking nearly identical. It looked great with Nintendo’s signiture fluid animation, but its sheer lack of content prevented players from wanting to return to the court and stay there for very long.
Fortunately, Nintendo had one big ace in the hole with Xenoblade Chronicles X, ending 2015 with a bang. Immediately, players were astounded at the scale of the game and the depths at which the developers dove to create an immersive and complex experience to keep players involved and enamored for months. Its ambition only augmented the adventure, showing the world what the Wii U can do when pushed nearly to its graphical limits. The result is an extraordinary journey overflowing with customization options, gorgeous environments, and mechs. To elaborate, GIANT BADASS BATTLE MECHS.
Also, the lack of a new F-Zero was compensated for with another high-octane futuristic racer in the form of Shin’en Multimedia’s FAST Racing NEO, which brought heart-thumping single-player, online, and splitscreen racing in the last leg of the Wii U’s year for a blend of the contemporary and the classic racing experiences. It was met with open arms by the gaming community, as its blinding speeds fill that adrenaline rush that so many F-Zero fans and beyond have been seeking. Seriously, it’s like melt-your-face-off fast.
If that wasn’t enough, Nintendo came back with video along the lines of, “Oh, by the way, remember when we put Ryu in Smash Bros.? Yeah, well, we’re adding Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, too. No big deal.” Don’t say you expected that, you liar.
