As Wii U prepares to bow out to make way for Nintendo NX, we can take time to reflect on a console that, while it had never attracted any particular sales momentum, was able to build a software library of undeniable quality.
At E3 2016, Game Informer took the opportunity to ask which Wii U game Shigeru Miyamoto believed had been overlooked by players. That saw him respond with Star Fox Zero, which only saw release earlier this year.
“I think personally Star Fox is a really fun game if you sit down and play it,” Miyamoto explained. “I think, for example, an elementary school kid who plays it without any preconceived notions, I think it would be really fun for them. I think it’s also really, really fun for siblings to play it together.”
Nintendo of America’s director of product marketing Bill Trinen soon chimed in to share his own suggestion, diverting the conversation onto mass-action strategy title Pikmin 3.
“Personally, I think Pikmin 3 is the most amazing game on Wii U,” Trinen shared. “It’s probably one of my favorite games in the last six or seven years. I think that hardly anyone realises that the multiplayer Bingo Battle mode was literally the best new multiplayer mode that has been created since Smash Bros. It is so much fun.”
Miyamoto added: “Pikmin is the kind of game that you have to play maybe three times to get the full effect, but you know, people don’t have a lot of time, so they just clear the stage and just move on. Games are becoming more of a consumable product, and it’s getting harder and harder for people to let a game to sink in and enjoy leisurely.”
It’s not “overlooked” at all. We choose not to look at it because of the mess YOU made trying to shoehorn Wii U GamePad motion-controls in a game clearly that was designed for the Wii and use of the WiiMote and Nunchuk. Despite the dated visuals, had we had an option to play that game without those controls and had online multiplayer I think Star Fox Zero would have been a very successful title for the Wii U.
Listening to these comments from both he and Bill Trinen added in with foolishness that I’ve heard Flls-Aime say it’s clear that Nintendo exists in their own world where reality has no meaning. The worst thing that an artist can do is become a fan of his own work. Take responsibility for your mistake instead of making excuses to compound them and do a better job next time. Here is IMO the definitive explanation as to why Star Fox Zero is an epic failure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srto-g83Lgs
D2K Prime you have hit the nail on the head. I bought this on release and I still can’t figure how Nintendo made such a mess of it. I gave it a week trying to control it before discarding to the pile. What a wasted opportunity from N. What a waste of my money.
Wonderful 101, Affordable Space Adventures, FreezeMe, and Pikmin 3 are all far more overlooked. I think Star Fox Zero got a lot of attention – first entry in a beloved series in how long – but then people decided to pass… I like the game and the changes to the controls when it’s playing like a traditional Star Fox title. But the other segments are really jarring and the boss fights that require fine aiming while dodging projectiles are… Well, let’s quote Aonuma…
“We realized that having something on the GamePad and looking back and forth between the TV screen and the GamePad actually disrupts the gameplay, and the concentration that the game player may be experiencing,You have your car’s GPS system on your dash. If you had it down in your lap, you’re going to get into an accident!”
I wish that Miyamoto had had this realization… Though, for the record, I’ve never had a problem with the second screen in Wind Waker HD or Twilight Princess HD.