The NX Launch Games Are Perfectly Timed

The NX Launch Games Are Perfectly Timed

We might not know too many details about Nintendo’s next console just yet, but reports of the first games that will be available indicate a few exciting titles. As of now, it sounds as if five of the games that will be available in the early going will be Legends Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, Project Sonic, Dragon Quest XI, and new Pokémon and Super Mario titles. Those would be exciting options for a lot of Nintendo fans no matter when they were released, but for the most part their association with the NX seems to be perfectly timed. Here’s what I mean.

Legends Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

The most important reason for Nintendo to push out a Zelda game is that this is one of the truly iconic franchises associated with the entertainment company, and the NX would seem incomplete without it. Additionally, there are simplified imitations of Zelda games popping up all the time on mobile platforms these days, and it’s a good idea for Nintendo to reassert itself. But there are two other reasons this game feels perfectly timed.

One is that, if you discount the 2013 3DS game A Link Between Worlds (and perhaps that’s not fair to do), it’s been five years since a main series release—the longest gap between games in the franchise’s history. In fact even if you do count A Link Between Worlds, we’re still in the midst of the second longest gap between games (after the space between Link’s Awakening in 1993 and Ocarina Of Time in 1998). In other words: we’re due. And the other reason is that rumors persist of a live-action Zelda series coming to Netflix, and releasing a new game around the same time as a potential show is a no-brainer.

Project Sonic

Project Sonic is perhaps a little bit more surprising than some of the others as a launch title, simply because the series is not an exclusive Nintendo property. In another way, that’s just why the timing of the first NX Sonic game is important. In recent years, it’s fair to say that the Wii U (and to some extent even the Wii before it) lost out to Xbox and PlayStation when it came to crossover games. Some major titles either didn’t come out for Nintendo or just weren’t as interesting on the system.

According to reports, Project Sonic is heading to all major consoles in 2017, so it was an important early step for NX to get in the mix. That, plus the fact that we just celebrated Sonic’s 25th birthday, make this another well-timed release.

Dragon Quest XI

It will have been five years since Dragon Quest X when this game comes out in 2017, but you can make the argument that it’s the best time ever for any game relating to dragons. Not only have the mythical beasts been re-popularized by the book/TV sensation Game Of Thrones, but dragons have thrived all across the world of gaming as well. Search “Dragons” in your mobile game store and you’ll come up with a dozen interesting results. Look at the fantasy games being released in 2017 and you’ll see more than a few winged beasts. And in sifting through these fun twists on slot arcades, you’ll see “Dragon Rising” as a featured title. That game goes so far as to use blazing scenery and flying beasts to support “blistering bonuses” and generally make the slot gaming experience more enjoyable.

But for a lot of Nintendo fans, no enhanced slot, mobile game, or even epic PS4 or Xbox One adventure can quite match the excitement of Dragon Quest XI. Even if it’s more of a traditional RPG than an action/adventure dragon quest, it’s already beloved by a huge audience. It’s also set to come out as the public seems to be at peak interest in dragon themes.

Pokémon

We don’t yet know what the Pokémon title on NX will look like, precisely, but it goes without saying that this is going to be a perfectly timed release. Few could have predicted what a massive sensation Pokémon Go would be. As we mentioned before, it surpassed $200 million in revenue after 32 days of availability, which is really pretty astounding. The game immediately rekindled worldwide interest in the same characters and concepts that took the gaming world by storm two decades ago.

A fresh Pokémon game for a brand-new Nintendo console probably would have been a big deal regardless, but on the heels of Pokémon Go it could become one of the biggest console releases in recent history. In fact, at this point, the game will probably drive NX sales.

Super Mario

I mean, it’s Super Mario. He just won the Olympics, and he’ll probably win the NX as well. This is a no-brainer and we all know it.

(image courtesy of Tech News Today)