With the end of the month upon us, it’s safe to say that January has been a relatively quiet month for new releases. While this may not necessarily seem like a good thing, hopefully it’s given you some time to catch up on some old games and clear out a bit of your backlog.
But as we get into the groove of 2016, we decided to take a look at all the games confirmed to be released in 2016 on the Wii U. Our list is not just games that are set to be coming out any random time in 2016, but ones that have been given a release month or a specific date of release. We’re aware of other games that have been confirmed for the Wii U, but were left out because they do not have a solid launch date or window confirming they will be out within this year. So without further ado, check out all the games all set to release in 2016 on the Wii U.
Minecraft: Story Mode
Minecraft: Story Mode finally got the Telltale treatment early last year but the series is only just making its way to the Wii U starting Jan. 21. Using the point-and-click adventure style of gameplay that Telltale is so tightly associated with, the story focuses around a character named Jesse who teams up with a group of other likable characters to defeat the Witherstorm.
Currently, episode one is the only episode to have a confirmed release date on the Wii U that released today, although we can’t imagine Telltale to only release the first episode of the series. It may come to Nintendo’s home console a bit later than other platforms, but it’ll all arrive soon enough over 2016.
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers is the second installment of the Lego Marvel franchise and will give players the chance to play through some of the best moments from the Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: The First Avenger, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier movies.
Over 200 characters have been confirmed to appear in the game, with audio from the movies being used to voice and bring an air of authenticity to sound effects in the game. LEGO Marvel’s Avengers is set to release on Wii U and all other platforms Jan. 26.
Gunscape
Brought to you by Blowfish Studio Games, Gunscape takes the form of an old-school first-person shooter. You’ll create your own levels, share them with others and try out others’ creations too. The level sharing is cross-platform, too, meaning you’ll be able to play levels created by PlayStation 4 and Xbox One users.
With a campaign and multiplayer maps made by the developers to give you something to play straight off the bat, Gunscape looks set to offer you a lot of bang for your buck. Gunscape is set to launch on the Wii sometime in January, although no specific date has been announced just yet.
Word Puzzles
Word Puzzles is, as you may have guessed, a combination of pen and paper word puzzles. With six different types of word puzzles and hundreds of variations of each one, there is plenty of value for money here. You’ll use the stylus and touch screen to input your solutions to each puzzle meaning you won’t have to faff with any button input for selecting that pesky word you’ve been searching forever for in your word search. Sounds good to us! Word Puzzles is set to release on the Wii U Jan. 28.
Lovely Planet
Lovely Planet is a first-person shooter set in a cute and colorful world. Your mission is to reach said Lovely Planet with the help of an endless supply of ammo for your semi-automatic machine gun, the ability to jump twice your height and speed boots strapped to your feet. With an emphasis on fast-paced action, Lovely Planet implores you not cower behind cover but duck, dip, dive and dodge your way past enemy gunfire.
Your performance on each level is tracked and ranked with a stars system and posted up to a leaderboard giving you even more of an incentive to master your skills and own some bad guys! Lovely Planet is set to release sometime this month, although no specific date has been announced just yet.
Mighty No. 9
The long-awaited Mega Man reboot is almost upon us after a pretty long wait following the success of its Kickstarter campaign. With the game reaching its stretch goal on Kickstarter, it’s set to include additional stages and some special modes in addition to the main game. You’ll assume the role of an android named Beck, the ninth unit in the team of combat robots called the Mighty Numbers. You’ll fight your way through rogue robots and put an end to the computer virus attack that sent all of his fellow Mighty Number comrades maniacally evil.
In traditional Mega Man fashion, defeating each of these Mighty Number enemies will result in you acquiring a new ability than can be used in your mission to save the day. Any Mega Man fans out there will likely be eager to get their hands on this when it releases Feb. 12.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Scheduled to release in March, the Twilight Princess HD remake on the Wii U is set to bring one of the gloomier games in the series to Nintendo’s current home console. The game will use the different amiibo from the Legend of Zelda series to give players extra arrows and hearts, or make them more susceptible to enemy attacks if the Ganondorf amiibo is scanned.
It will also include an extra dungeon for players to complete if they scan through the Wolf Link amiibo. If you never got round to playing Twilight Princess on the Gamecube or Wii, now is a good time to pick it up as you await the release of the newest title in the series later this year. The Twilight Princess HD remake for Wii U is due to release Mar. 4.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is set to bring back the mini-game, bite-size fun of competing in Olympic events with your favorite video game characters.
Nintendo has confirmed the game will feature some summer-inspired events such as soccer, golf, beach volleyball, and track-and-field. All of your favorite characters from previous Mario & Sonic sports games are set to make a return with the possibility of a few new inclusionsm too!
Mario & Sonic are set to head back to the Olympics sometime in March though no specific day has been confirmed as of yet.
Pokkén Tournament
If you’ve ever wanted to see some Pokémon battle it out in full 3D and don’t want to go back to your old Nintendo 64 and Pokémon Stadium, then Pokkén Tournament might be for you. Combining the popular pocket monsters with the classic fighting gameplay of Tekken, Pokkén Tournament looks to be a Pokémon game that appeals to a wide variety of audiences.
The roster count now sits at 16 so you’ll have a wide range of different Pokémon to choose from and hopefully, some slick move sets to utilize, too. Pokkén Tournament is due to release in March.
Star Fox Zero
Star Fox Zero bring the Star Fox team back together to save the world from Andross and his evil forces once again. The game will have players engaging in aerial dogfights, demolishing forces on the ground with the help of the Landmaster tank and using the Gyrowing flight drone, too. Using the gyro of the Wii U Gamepad, Star Fox intends to make you feel like you’re in the cockpit of an Arwing as you move the Gamepad around to target enemies.
While the game hasn’t previewed all that well at events, Star Fox Zero’s delays from last year to its current release date in April may suggest it’s going through a refinement process.
Slain!
Slain! Is a heavy metal inspired combat-puzzle with a pretty big emphasis on gore. Taking on an old-school style both in terms of art style and gameplay, Slain! puts players in control of Bathoryn, a hero seeking to liberate seven towers from seven deadly overlords. You’ll battle your way through wave after wave of monsters with three elemental weapons to help you on your journey.
Successfully fight your way through these waves, defeat the overlord and move on until evil no longer reigns over the land. Oh, and do all of this while you headbang along to the heavy metal soundtrack.
Slain! is set to release on Wii U sometime in June, a few months after it releases on other platforms in March.
Yooka-Laylee
The spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie will introduce us to a new dynamic duo that still have the spirit of the old pair, but bring in exciting new moves and abilities. Using an arsenal of special moves like Yooka’s tongue grapple and Laylee’s tactical sonar blast, players will explore a vibrant and beautiful world and collect a huge roster of shiny collectibles. These collectibles are set to add to the gameplay, such as the Pagies which will unlock or expand more worlds.
Yooka-Laylee is set to release on the Wii U and other platforms in October of this year.
The Legend of Zelda Wii U
The upcoming, new game in the Legend of Zelda franchise is still waiting on its official name as we almost end the first month of the year it’s supposed to release in. From a number of gameplay trailers and some gameplay, we’ve been able to ascertain that the game aims to be on a pretty huge scale with large open areas bigger than anything that’s come before it.
While it doesn’t have a solid release month or window yet, we believe Nintendo in their comments that the title will release at some point this year. Only time will tell when, though.
Published: Jan 21, 2016 02:32 pm