Topic: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The outlook for the Wii U stopped being dire the day they delayed Zelda out of 2015. You wouldn't call the PS3's outlook 'dire' or the xbox one (no really, the first one)'s outlook 'dire.' It's just becoming a legacy console, no need to dramatize it.

@Haru17: It could easily be a launch title, but why not call it a March 2017 game then? Or a Q1 game, first half of 2017, Spring 2017? A general year usually means fall or holiday.

@Octane Do you think I understand Nintendo? None of us understand Nintendo! Nintendo is the mythical big dumb elephant, lumbering down the forest path.

@Haru17: I'd have gone with Snorlax myself.

It's a borrowed metaphor.

So 2 of the only games that were announced before this! That's fair enough.

Well, as I know from experience, game development is something you can hardly plan, postponement is therefore normal in this business. But thinking back of several Iwata Asks, I wonder how the devs themselves feel about it right now.

Definitely! I didn't buy TPHD but I would buy SSHD on day one.

I know we all want that, but sadly that team has been dissolved.

I think what really bugs me about Zelda U's delays is that each time it's been delayed so far, we were given really strong signs of reassurance only months beforehand. Less than four months before the first delay, at the 2014 Game Awards, they (or, I guess, their translators) repeated it to everybody with such confident wording how they were sure of a 2015 release, for both Zelda and Star Fox. And with this recent delay, it wasn't even two months ago that we got an update from Aonuma about how he's working on in-game text, just like he was in the final stages of Skyward Sword's development. They've really got to get out of the habit of delaying this game just after giving me real confidence, because now, I'm not gonna believe it's coming until I'm holding it in my hands.

Of course it would come to NX. I am surprised that it also still comes to Wii u though. As for the artwork: The people where right, Link does have a book with a Skeikah/Lense of truth image. I guess that book has some importance. It could be a crafting book (for crafting arrows and stuff) or a spellbook a la Ninokuni. If the latter, maybe they bundle the game with a physical spellbook, like with Ninokuni. Who knows.

On a sidenote: I can smell Nintendo will do yet ANOTHER remake this year to fill the Zelda-gap. Skyward sword HD on Wii u, perhaps? With traditional controls?

@Henmii: Although I would love a Skyward Sword with traditional controls, I don't think it's possible. The motion controls are so deeply rooted in the game's mechanics, that it would take a complete overhaul to get the game properly working without motion controls. It wouldn't be the same game anymore. Also, judging by the amount of work Ninty put in the other two remakes, I don't think they want to put that much effort in a SS remake.

@Henmii: I guess, it is a speaking robot book...

By the way I don't think Nintendo will drop the WiiU version since it is my understanding that they have to develop both versions parallel. But who knows. Maybe the first news in 2017 is that Zelda U will be exclusive for NX.
I don't think this will happen but we can be pretty sure that the NX will released BEFORE the WiiU version like they did with Zelda TP ten years before.

@Chandlero: I have to disagree with your final point, the big difference between now and then is back in the GC era there wasn't tons of broken promises so Nintendo could afford to do that. The Wii U version releasing even later would be basically Nintendo shouting to everyone "BUY A PS4K! WE WILL ABUSE YOUR TRUST FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE NX GENERATION!".

@Grumblevolcano: Maybe. But remember, Zelda TP for GameCube originally had a 2005 release date.

...You realize that the PS4K is basically the same thing, except it costs money instead of time, right? I find it pretty petty to get upset over delays. Especially tiny ones like launching at different times in different regions.

@Chandlero: The way I see is if the Zelda U situation happened for TP it would've been like:
. GC released in late 2001
. Wind Waker and Zelda Collectors Edition don't exist
. In early 2002, TP is announced to exist but with no very few details, OoT for GC is announced at same time (releases in late 2002)
. At E3 2003, TP is announced for a 2004 release
. In early 2004, TP is delayed to 2005
. In late 2004, MM for GC is announced (releases in early 2005)
. In early 2005, TP is delayed to 2006, announced for Wii and the new console releases in early 2006 (in addition, no GC games released between June 2005 and early 2006)

While there's some similarities to what happened, there's some major differences and it's those major differences which makes the Zelda U situation more serious.

The difference being that the PS3 had support leading up to and even past the launch of the PS4. At the beginning of the generation, it was in a dire situation, and people called it as such. The Wii U quite obviously won't be getting that luxury. Hence, it's in a dire sitaution. It might be dramatic, but it's also true.

No one called the PS3 dire when the 4 launched. Everyone rightly knew that it was just transitioning out, which was normal. I don't see why you insist upon using the language of a Buzzfeed headline.

Because even when the 4 launched, the PS3 still had a solid year of consistent games coming to it? It's not hard to see why this is not at all comparable to the current wii u - NX situation.

Ugh, the 3 is just an example of a legacy console, man! Of course there's no more games for it—that's the point of planned obsolescence!!