It’s been a busy year for Nintendo as it seeks to move onto a new generation of consoles. The 3DS is already here and, despite a sluggish start, has some big releases ahead. Then of course there is the Wii U, boasting a unique touch screen controller and the promise of much greater processing power than the Wii. Both devices are showing a lot of potential for new and innovative gaming experiences.

This guy will be mentioned, a lot

The focus of this article, however, is a genre that is still drawing a lot of attention from Nintendo, despite its relative age. We’re talking about 2D gaming, with a particular focus on side-scrollers and platformers. In fact, we’d even suggest that the successful implementation of these genres onto the Wii U and 3DS will be an important part of their success. Look at successful releases for the DS and, in particular, the Wii: 2D games have been an important foundation for these consoles, and continue to give Nintendo a unique selling point that other companies, despite some notable efforts, haven’t been able to recreate.