Mario Maker has had some mixed reviews and varied opinions said about it since release. While most of what's available to play is absolute garbage, like all content creation games, you have to dig a little deep to find the occasional diamond in the rough. 

Super Mario vs. Mecha Bowzilla is one such diamond! Just check out all the work that goes into fighting this monstrosity! With clever design you pretty much have to use all the tricks any good Mario game has taught you over the years just to take this thing's knees out. 

We finally have a little bit more information on Nintendo’s newest console in progress, the NX. An official survey by Nintendo shows that the games will run at 900p and 60 frames per second but will also be capable of 4K Ultra HD video streaming. Even with the HD streaming games will run at 1080p, tops. This is only a survey and information is liable to change.

The NX is a major upgrade compared to the Wii and Wii U. For example, the graphics will be able to compete with the PS4. Nintendo has been in a bit of a financial bind, but is definitely making a comeback. 

According to Neogaf.com, the CPU may be 15 - 30% stronger than the PS4. The NX will include an AMD GPU and between 6GB and 8GB of RAM. The NX system may also be passed on to the Android operating system. This rumor is based off the fact that Nintendo is working with DeNa, a mobile gaming platform company that started Miitomo. Amiibo will most likely still be supported, as the Amiibo are the one thing that have consistently kept sales up since their release.

Besides the late Satoru Iwata's  statement, there hasn’t been much information about the NX.

“As proof that Nintendo maintains strong enthusiasm for the dedicated game system business, let me confirm that Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand new concept under the development codename ‘NX’. It is too early to elaborate on the details of this project, but we hope to share more information with you next year.”

We were told that we would get more information at E3 2016. Nintendo decided to share some specs before E3. The company has decided to make announcements through Nintendo Direct, an online video stream.

*Warning: All rumors are speculation until further knowledge is presented by Nintendo Direct or E3*

The release date is a bit fuzzy

There are two potential release dates: the first release date was thought to happen in 2017, but, it may be earlier for financial reasons. It could be as early as Christmas of 2016.

Pricing covers a wide range

The price is still unclear. However, judging from the past prices of the Wii and Wii U it could be around the $299 mark or higher. The Wii U costs $300, the Wii originally costed $250 and the GameCube’s original price was $200.

Nintendo is all about being family friendly, so the prices and specs reflect that. Nintendo isn’t super worried about their graphics cards or streaming apps. These things help to keep the price down. However with the NX, it may costs up to $400 because of the new specs they are putting in it.

The Major Functions of the NX

A rumor that has been circulating since the mention of the NX is that it will be an at home and handheld gaming system. 

NX Titles

The Wii U Zelda game may never appear for the Wii U but could be around for the NX. Also, Unreal Engine 4 may be used to create a few third party games. A few independent coders have created game demos to provide a taste of what Nintendo titles would look like with Unreal Engine 4. A new Mario is expected to grace the NX with a title like Mario Sunshine. 

It's more than likely that Super Smash Bros will come out on the NX, but there is no word on whether or not you can play with Wii U gamers.

Mario Maker is a maybe because Nintendo is having a hard time figuring out how to transfer player data, and some courses could be lost in the process. It's same deal with Splatoon. They're having a hard time making it a cross platform game.

It seems the NX will be as visually pleasing, graphics wise, as the PS4 and Xbox One. Updates coming soon!

The voice of Nintendo's famous Mario, Charles Martinet, sat down and played the new Wii U game Mario Maker, showing his true personality and love of the character. 

Throughout the YouTube video from NintendoLife, you can see Martinet commenting on how Mario would react to the levels and doing his remarkable Mario voice. 

A Child at Heart

Watching Charles Martinet play Mario Maker shows exactly how passionate voice actors are about their characters. Getting extremely into the game, Martinet explains how amazing the level design in Mario Maker is, and how difficult they could be to regular gamers. 

Being part of the Nintendo world behind the scenes, Martinet has grown quite familiar with the Italian plumber, as he's done all the Mario voices in the Nintendo franchise, plus a few other characters, like:

• Luigi
• Wario
• Waluigi
• Baby Mario
• Baby Luigi
• Toadsworth

Martinet made his first Mario voice debut in 1995 on Interplay's Mario's FUNdamentals, but is widely known for his first appearance in Mario 64 in 1996. 

Since the 1990s, Martinet has become a voice all gamers can recognize at an instant - a part of our childhood. 

What do you think of Charles Martinet playing Mario Maker? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

On October 13^th, 2015, Best Buy in conjunction with Nintendo will be offering an exclusive pre-order for the new Falco amiibo.

The Falco amiibo is based on the character Falco from the popular Star Fox franchise. This amiibo is compatible with many of the amiibo-enabled games on the Wii U and 3DS systems, including Super Smash Bros., Super Mario Maker, and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

Sales of the Falco amiibo are limited to one per customer, and quantities are limited. Pre-orders are first come, first serve.

Amiibos are figurines designed to work with the Nintendo WiiU and 3DS systems to add additional functionality to some games. Amiibos can be tapped against the WiiU tablet controller or the new 3DS to add additional characters, secret levels, and even extra lives to games which have Amiibo integration enabled. More information on Nintendo's Amiibo system can be found at Nintendo's Amiibo site.

The Falco amiibo will release on November 20^th, 2015. It is currently available for pre-order for the price of $12.99 USD through BestBuy.com only.

Nintendo has patented a home console that does not contain an optical disc drive. All things considered, this likely means the mysterious Nintendo NX will be a digital only console.

To further clarify, the Wii U, along with every other console since the PS1, has an optical disc drive, which is a fancy term for the place where the disc is inserted and read. All of this means that the next Nintendo console, currently codenamed NX, is very likely to be a digital game only console and not support physical discs. It will however have slots for storage, i.e. USB's or hard drives. You can check out the patent below.

While this may not be that surprising, considering the industry has been heading to an all-digital future for quite some time now, (Microsoft almost removed the optical drive from the Xbox One), it is surprising that Nintendo are the first to take the leap. The reason I say that is because the Nintendo eShop has never been the easiest or most reliable platform for buying games. Furthermore Nintendo's consoles do not have large internal hard drives, the Wii U sports a pretty tiny 8GB with a premium version extending to 32GB. If this system were indeed to be digital only it would need a serious upgrade in storage.

Perhaps more interesting than the lack of an optical disc drive is that the controller will seemingly have a "display unity", much like the Wii U GamePad. This was revealed in another image from the patent. However, that doesn't necessarily mean another tablet style controller, it could be the controller/handheld that many have assumed the next console would have. Check out the patent below.

It was recently rumored that Nintendo would be revealing and releasing the NX next year, which means we don't have too long left to wonder what exactly it is. Until then you can check out all of our coverage on the upcoming Super Mario Maker. But If you're hungry for more NX, check out our best guesses at what the system could be.

Are you OK with there being no optical drive? What do you think the controller might be? Let us know in the comments below!

Nintendo has announced that approximately 73 amiibo will be compatible with Super Mario Maker.

The amiibo that will be compatible come from the Super Smash Bros., Splatoon, Animal Crossing, Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi's Woolly World sets.

In addition, the two 30th Anniversary 8-bit Mario amiibo will be compatible with Super Mario Maker as well. These anniversary amiibo make Mario gigantic when tapped to the Wii U GamePad.

Most other amiibo will end up giving you custom sprites within any Super Mario Maker level. This means that you can play through your favorite levels as Link, or even the Wii Fit Trainer.

However, these sprites can be unlocked in-game if you do not own a certain figure.

It will be interesting how much Super Mario Maker will drive amiibo sales. I already have too many amiibo, but I am very interested in one of those super rad 30th Anniversary Mario figures.

But the real question is this: Does Super Mario Maker offer substantial enough amiibo support? Are sprites enough? Let us know in the comments!

The 2015 Digital direct opens with puppet versions of Iwata, Reggie, and Miyamoto transforming into Star Fox characters. It has begun.

If you didn't have time to watch, here's everything that Nintendo showed off at this year's E3.

Star Fox Zero 

Nintendo made a multitude of announcements today during their E3 presser, beginning with Star Fox Zero, the newest entry in the series. Packed with new vehicles and the beloved Star Fox crew, Star Fox Zero is slated for Holiday 2015. 

It was revealed that the GamePad will provide a cockpit view, providing a first-person view on the GamePad and a third-person view on your TV. 

Nintendo then went on to discuss amiibo, and a new partnership with Activision and their Skylanders franchise. Three Nintendo figures will be usable only on Skylanders Superchargers for Wii U, and will be usable in Nintendo games outside of Skylanders.

The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes

Then, a new game was announced, The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes for 3DS. This game allows players to work together, solving puzzles and dungeons. The game has the same visuals as The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. 

The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes received a Fall 2015 release window.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force

Nintendo detailed Metroid Prime: Federation Force, a Metroid game with 4 player co-op. Not much was really revealed, other than a 2016 release window. The game will be on 3DS and come with Blast Ball.

Xenoblade Chronicles X

We were then shown a trailer for Xenoblade Chronicles X, in which the game received a 12/4/15 release date. With Zelda Wii U slated for 2016, Xenoblade Chronicles X will be one of the most anticipated Wii U games this year. 

Loads of misc. titles from familiar Nintendo faces

Nintendo went on to unveil Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival for Wii U, which is essentially Mario Party meets Animal Crossing. The game utilizes amiibo functionality, and new Animal Crossing amiibo are on their way for the new game. 

We then got a closer look at Yoshi's Wooly World. The game offers couch co-op and amiibo functionality. Yoshi's Wooly World also got a U.S. release date of October 16th, 2015.

Then, Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam Bros.,a game that combines Mario and Luigi and Paper Mario, was announced. This game looks really cool, and will release Spring 2016. 

A new Mario Tennis game was also announced, Mario Tennis Ultra Smash. This game will come out in Q4 2015, which could mean holiday time of this year or early 2016. Not much here, it looks like a standard Mario Tennis game. Visually it looks pretty good, and will, if anything, beef up the Wii U library.

The next installment in the Fire Emblem series was then named for the west, Fire Emblem Fates. It will arrive in 2016. Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem will also release in 2016. 

Mario Maker

Nintendo then went in-depth with Super Mario Maker. We learned that Link, Marth, Isabelle, Yoshi, Luigi and Wii Fit Trainer will all be playable in Super Mario Maker via amiibo. Super Mario Maker will release in the U.S. on September 11th of this year.The next installment in the Fire Emblem series was then named for the west, 

No Pokemon, Zelda Wii U, or true Metroid? The press conference left a lot to be desired, while offering some exciting games in 2016.

Out of what Nintendo has to offer this year, Xenoblade Chronicles X and Super Mario Maker look great. Star Fox Zero has me cautiously optimistic, however, I feel that it will come down to the controls and how the new vehicles make the player feel. 

The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes has me excited as well, and the co-op should be very fun. But perhaps the reason I am truly unhappy with this press conference is because of Metroid Prime: Federation Force. I feel that this isn't quite what makes Metroid great. I haven't played the game so I have to reserve judgment, but based on what I saw this is not a Metroid entry that I wanted. 

It is merely days away from E3, the Mecca of video games. Companies will try to dazzle us with announcements, reveals, trailers, and gameplay.

I am excited for all of the press conferences, but I can't help but be extra excited for the Nintendo Digital Event.

Here are five predictions of what I think we will see. Some of these predictions are safer than others, but it is still fun to think about what we might lay our eyes on.

1. Nintendo mobile games

I predict that we will get a glimpse at Nintendo's first entry into the mobile space (not to be confused with handheld space), as well as a release date. Nintendo has assured us that a mobile game will be coming out this year. What better way to unveil it than at E3.

2. Star Fox Wii U and Mario Maker release dates

I believe that we will get final release dates for two of Nintendo's biggest 2015 titles. In addition, we will see gameplay from Star Fox, and hear about some of the cool pre-packaged levels that will come with Mario Maker.

3. Zelda Wii U

We will hear about Zelda Wii U. We have been told that we won't, but we will. We will see more gameplay and get a rough timeframe of when it will come out, perhaps early or late 2016. I have to believe that we see or hear something after the game being delayed. 

4. New Metroid

It is time. Please, let it be time. It has been nearly five years since Metroid: Other M, and it is high time that we see the next entry in the Metroid series. This tweet has everyone very excited, and I am going to go out on a limb and say Metroid 3DS comes out this year. Yes, there will be a new Metroid, but it will be on 3DS. There is your bold prediction.

5. Smash Bros. DLC

This could actually be announced on June 14th's Smash Bros. event, but I predict that we will hear results from the Smash Ballot, including the winner(s). We will hear about stage DLC, and the Miiverse stage that has already been revealed but not discussed. Fingers crossed for Shovel Knight, but I would not be surprised to see a Nintendo owned character.

Those are my Nintendo E3 predictions, give me some of your bold predictions in the comments!

For E3 this year, Nintendo has outlined plans on what they're going to discuss and show off this year to the fans. Starting off, for the first time in 25 years they're bringing back the Nintendo World Championships. In addition, Nintendo is going to hold a digital conference and a Nintendo Treehouse livestream as well.

Below is the events that'll be held at E3 of this year:

• Sunday, June 14th – Nintendo World Championships 2015
• Tuesday, June 16th – Nintendo Digital Event (9 am PST)
• Mario Maker demo at Best Buy – June 17th (4 pm – 9 pm)
• Mario Maker demo at Best Buy – June 20th (noon – 5 pm)
• Nintendo Treehouse Live (details unannounced as of now)

The Nintendo World Championships was an event competition that was held in 1990. The tournament consisted of three age-specific brackets and was held in about 24 cities across the United States of America. Regarding this year's tournament, Nintendo provided this.

On May 30, select Best Buy locations in major cities around the country will host qualifying tournaments for the Nintendo World Championships, which were last seen in 1990. The winners from each regional event, plus competitors invited by Nintendo, will meet on June 14, at the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles for a multi-round Nintendo game competition. In the end, one player will be crowned the 2015 Nintendo World Champion. Fans in Los Angeles will have the opportunity to attend the tournament, while others can watch online.

More details about the qualifying tournaments will be shared in the upcoming weeks, the company states.

What do you guys make of the Nintendo World Championships returning? Is it a good move, or a bad move?

Shigeru Miyamoto--head of Nintendo Co. in Japan--appeared in Los Angeles today for an interview with famous YouTuber iJustine. During the interview, iJustine brings up a solid variety of upcoming Nintendo games to discuss, and manages to pry a few precious details out of him concerning many titles, such as Mario Maker, Zelda Wii U, and Star Fox Wii U.

It is probably best to watch the video interview above, but in the case you don't have the time to watch a twenty-minute video, here's a recap of what happened:

Mario Maker

• Mario Maker for the Wii U was in the works while Mario's 30th anniversary was approaching, so everything fell neatly into place.
• Miyamoto grants an insight at how sharing your levels online will look.
• You'll be able to see what happens when people play your course. It's unconfirmed how this works, but it could be something as simple as game stats--number of deaths, time to finish, etc. 
• Popularity Rankings, which has the strong potential to house different categories.

Zelda Wii U

• Zelda worlds were always made to feel big, but due to hardware difficulties, they had to focus on giving off the illusion of size.
  
• Zelda Wii U's main map is the same size as the world from Twilight Princess with all the distance lost while zoning to a new map.
  
• There will be plenty to do in Zelda Wii U. There will be times where you forget what your original goal was, for a time. You could get lost exploring "one big long" dungeon, or you could be heading to one and get absorbed by doing other things on the side.

Star Fox Wii U

• Star Fox Wii U should be out before Zelda.
  
• Star Fox Wii U features a "cinematic" view on the TV and a "cockpit" view on the Wii U Gamepad, designed for combat situations.
• Miyamoto denies too much info about using amiibo for games like the new Zelda or Star Fox, but he does confirm that they plan on doing something so that people that do own amiibo can get some enjoyment out of them--so nothing that saves onto the amiibo.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and Other Games

• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker main character is the Toad from Super Mario Galaxy. He also brings up that all Toads are genderless, despite have having gendered appearances sometimes.
  
• Captain Toad is just a normal Toad who is good at tracking down treasure.
• Miyamoto shows off the Primal Groudon Limited Edition 3DS XL, and gives it to iJustine after the interview, signed.
  
• Splatoon came out of the minds of some of Nintendo's youngest development team members.
• They've put a lot of effort into creating a "robust" single player game.
• Basically a kid-friendly territory war squid shooter game.
• Yoshi's Wolly World's concept came from Kirby's Epic Yarn, however Yoshi didn't look as well with the shape presented in that game. So the developer's made a Yoshi out of yarn and went from there.
  
• Miyamoto shows off some of his Pikmin animations.

And that concludes the interview! Nothing exactly groundbreaking was revealed here, but there were some small details that dedicated Nintendo fans could drool over.

Nintendo has picked up the pace again, this year, with so many ambitious projects scheduled for 2015. It feels like Nintendo is finally going to throw the Wii U a nice juicy bone, while still showering the 3DS with a few crunchy treats. What do you think of Nintendo's 2015 lineup?

The 2014 Game Awards in Las Vegas have come and gone and Nintendo cleaned up in terms of awards. Nintendo won awards for Developer of the Year, Best Fighting Game (Smash Bros), Best Racing/Sports Game, and Best Family Game for Mario Kart 8. I'm not quite sure how comfortable I am with Mario Kart 8 being in the sports category because I don't see it as a sports game  but I guess that's why I'm not on the Game Awards committee. Nintendo also brought some information, regarding their future plans with them to the show!

Nintendo showed off a video, starring Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma, that detailed the Wii U Legend of Zelda and the vast landscape that players will be able to travel in. The Wii U Zelda could be the most realistic( mechanics wise) in the Zelda series. Epona won't collide with trees and the sunset/environment makes you think you're actually in Hyrule with Link. Having a horse that doesn't need much guidance leaves your hands free to attack/line up bow and arrow shots. You'll also be able to pinpoint locations on the Wii U Game Pad and have beacons show up on the TV screen, similar to Skyward Sword traveling.

More details were mentioned about Mario Maker for the Wii U. I had seen Mario Maker at E3 this year and at the time there wasn't a mention of Mario 3 style graphics being used. Fast forward to the present and Nintendo announced that several generations of Mario games will be usable.  Players will be able to make their own Mario-centric levels in the style of classic Mario games like Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World.

Players asked to create their own Smash Bros stages and received it. Players have also been asking for the ability to create Mario levels and behold, they have received it. Mario Maker will be released in 2015 and will mark the 30th anniversary of the original Super Mario Brothers.

Lastly, Code Name S.T.E.A.M, which was shown in video form at E3 this year, received a release date. Players will only have to wait until March 13th to get their hands on this futuristic role-playing game, and will be able to play local/online multiplayer matches. There was one last piece of information revealed in the presentation. It was revealed by Mr. Miyamoto that Star Fox Wii U would be releasing ahead of Zelda Wii U, presumably 2015. With the holidays approaching, Nintendo looks to have righted the ship with the likes of Super Smash Bros, Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and the Amiibo figures!

Awards shows have never really been the strong suit of the video game industry. From G4’s G-Phoria to Spike TV’s VGAs, many have attempted to throw a good end-of-the-year event, and they have failed to draw in the same prestige and large audiences that music and film awards shows do. But that didn’t stop Geoff Keighley from trying.

Without the network support that he previously had from Spike TV hosting the VGAs (now defunct since they retooled the titular event to the more trailer-filled VGX), Keighley decided to personally fund an entirely new gaming awards show. 

Backed by the holy trinity of gaming - Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft - along with a slew of other industry heads, the inaugural Game Awards was set to be a different kind of video game award show, more focused on bringing together developers, journalists, and fans from all aspects of gaming. In fact, the new format allowed for free submissions, giving indie and small developers a chance to really shine alongside the big industry players.

The result: a more intimate evening with video game lovers from all walks of life rubbing shoulders together and enjoying their trade without the slog of sponsorships and blatant pandering seen in other events.

The Big Award of the Night

Screenshot of Dragon Age: Inquisition Gameplay, which was voted as the Game of the Year.

The elusive Game of the Year title, went to BioWare’s Dragon Age: Inquisition.  Although the game has been receiving generally positive reviews in its first few weeks of public release, it has been under a fair amount of criticism for its filler content, and was not as highly regarded critically as some of the other contenders, such as Dark Souls II and Bayonetta 2. It should be noted that the panel of judges included developers and journalists alike, so maybe BioWare’s solid track record influenced the decision. 

Other games that performed well at the Game Awards include:

• Hearthstone (Best Mobile/Handheld Game)
• Far Cry 4 (Best Shooter)
• Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Best Narrative AND Games for Change awards). 

A full list of the nominees and winners can be found here.

Despite popular fan opinion...

Mario Kart 8 took home both the Best Sports/Racing Game and Best Family Game awards for the evening. 

Nintendo didn’t win the Game of the Year award for Bayonetta 2 or the Best Mobile/Handheld Game award for Super Smash Bros 3DS. But before you start feeling like they were robbed, you should know Nintendo walked away with four awards, including:

• Best Fighting Game (Super Smash Bros. for Wii U)
• Best Sports/Racing Game (Mario Kart 8)
• Best Family Game (Mario Kart 8)
• Developer of the Year

Special mention should go to the Best Fan Creation and Best Independent Game awards, as they both involved properties closely associated with Nintendo (Twitch Plays Pokémon by Anonymous and Shovel Knight respectively).

As if winning 4 out of the 18 awards available to developers wasn’t enough, Nintendo also took control over the screen time. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé himself was there to do what he does best, which is get us excited about games we’re dying to play already.  Along with opening the evening with footage from Mario Maker (seen here along with every other trailer and footage clip shown at the Game Awards), we were treated to the world gameplay premiere for Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., Nintendo’s new 3DS title that looks like their take on XCOM: Enemy Unknown - if it borrowed some of Borderlands’s aesthetics and threw in a healthy dose of steampunk design choices, that is.  

Eiji Aunuma demonstrating horseriding and exploration gameplay for the Legend of Zelda Wii U title to Shigeru Miyamoto.

As exciting as this was to see, it probably paled in comparison to the headliner event of the evening: the Legend of Zelda for Wii U gameplay footage.  The game is set to be released sometime next year after the Majora’s Mask remake for 3DS and Star Fox Wii U title.

To top it all off, Nintendo finished the event strong with a combined Legend of Zelda music medley involving American rock band Imagine Dragons and the prolific Koji Kondo, who is responsible for just about every iconic Nintendo earworm tune you’ve ever heard.

To top it all off, Nintendo finished the event strong with a combined Legend of Zelda music medley involving American rock band Imagine Dragons and the prolific Koji Kondo, who is responsible for just about every iconic Nintendo earworm tune you’ve ever heard. 

The event signed off with a collaborative acoustic performance of Imagine Dragon’s breakthrough hit “It’s Time,” which really demonstrated the more personal and unorthodox tone of the evening. 

That’s not to say that no one else made a big scene at the Game Awards.

The Metal Gear Online gameplay footage was one of the highlights of the evening.

Several other trailers and games were announced (again, all of them can be found here), including new titles from Gone Home’s creators and Hazelight Studios, well-known for indie darling Brothers: A Tale of Two Songs. 

We also got to see gameplay footage for Metal Gear Online and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (which won Most Anticipated Game that evening). Not to mention everyone’s favorite gamer violinist, Lindsey Stirling, also offered her own musical contribution with her (beautiful) rendition of the Dragon Age: Inquisition theme. 

But being able to open and close the first Game Awards really showed Nintendo’s pull in the gaming industry and their prowess as a titan of gaming.  Good game, Nintendo, good game.

Nintendo contends that its Wii U console now has plenty of games, and it's using social media to make its case.

In a recent tweet on the Nintendo UK Twitter handle, Nintendo has attempted to face head-on the claim that the Wii U lacks a library of decent titles to choose from. The tweet includes the hastage #TheTimeisNow and a link to cheeky "logic" flow chart.

Nintendo reviews some of its best-selling Wii U titles and franchises with the flow chart, including Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 8, and Hyrule Warrirors. It also makes a point of mentioning its titles available on Virtual Console, recent high review scores of its newer games, and special bundle offers for some titles.

(For a larger view, click on the chart below to open in a new tab.)

Nintendo has been trying for some time to dispel the notion that its game selection is inadequate compared to the likes of the Xbox One and PS4. That was one of the main critqiues of the Wii U early on in its run, but it seems that more and more consumers are deciding to take a chance on the console. Back in October, Nintendo reported that it had reached 7 million sold units. It also finally turned a profit this autumn due to Wii U and 3DS sales, the release of Mario Kart 8 and the continued success of older titles.

The Nintendo UK tweet also linked to a YouTube video showcasing some cutscenes and gameplay from popular Wii U titles (see below).

For more on the Wii U, check out the Top 10 Wii U Games and our gift guide for Nintendo fans.

People are waiting for the Wii U to finally drop below the $200 figure, anticipating Nintendo's surrender to the new-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles. But there's plenty of reason why not to expect a price drop in the near future, and why Nintendo could benefit from doing one at a later date.

Two Games to Go

There are two big games left on Wii U's docket in 2014: Hyrule Warriors and the next installment of Super Smash Bros. HW will likely not have a major impact, because no one will know what the game is -- a Dynasty Warriors clone that features The Legend of Zelda characters. While word-of-mouth will make the game spread, that may not happen until past this holiday season.

On the flip side, the SSB franchise is a proven success. Why would Nintendo drop the price of their hardware at the same time they release a system seller? Mario Kart and SSB are two franchises that can still move consoles -- Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the third installment of the series -- sold over 12 million copies worldwide.

Why would Nintendo lose money on a system seller? That would be better to slash the Wii U price with the release of Mario Maker, just as Stephen Barrett of gamrReview says.

So when should gamers expect a Wii U price drop?  Probably during the first half of next year, when Nintendo’s upcoming creation game Mario Maker is set to release, would be the perfect time for the company to make their move with an official price drop; effectively reducing the Wii U’s retail price by $50 with Mario Maker included.

We don't know the full details of Mario Maker, but it's clearly not the cost of a full retail game. Nintendo could make bank on a Mario game editor if done properly -- they can include the game with a newly-priced $250 Wii U system, and there could be some in-game purchases to further create your Mario level masterpiece.

Yes, I know the thought of "in-game purchases" makes everyone shudder, but Mario Maker is the ideal game to have something like that in. Want to make the level bigger? Want to have access to all the enemies and stage environements? You better pony up.

Who knows what Nintendo will implement with the Amiibo figures. Those separately sold figurines could play a roll in all three games. Just imagine -- buying a $15 Toon Link figure could unlock him in SSB and in Hyrule Warriors.

While the future of Mario Maker is nothing but speculation, it'll be interesting to see what Nintendo has up their sleeve. They aren't still in the business despite not matching up hardware wise to Sony and Microsoft since the GameCube for no reason, and they may have a lot of opportunity with Hyrule Warriors, SSB, Mario Maker, and the Amiibo figures.

Last but certainly not least is Mario Maker, where you create your own Mario courses from scratch. 

I saw this trailer and immediately wanted to play it, which is a good thing for, you know, games. I could see myself spending hours on Mario Maker creating new levels and challenging my friends to see if they could beat my course. It's awesome because you can create courses how you want, meaning at any difficulty you want as well, which is great for families with kids. 

The idea is simple but adding the Mario theme might be just what the idea needed to out-sell some of the competition in "create your own level" games such as Minecraft. I don't think this game will beat out Minecraft in the slightest but it does provide another option for people looking for a new type of level builder game. 

Mario Maker is expected to hit shelves in 2015 only for the Wii U.

Kirby is one of my favorite video game franchises of all time, so I was excited to hear the announcement of the latest Kirby game, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse.

Kirby comes back from the Kirby Canvas Curse to absorb enemies and run on rainbow ropes. I love that players use their stylus to create rainbow paths for Kirby, the colors are amazing and it looks like it is up to par with what you'd expect from a game in this franchise. 

Since this was just a reveal trailer there is little information about the full game so, we wait! But Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is expected in 2015.

Bayonetta 2, coming from someone who never played the first, looks stunning. 

I don't know how I missed the first Bayonetta but I did, and if you did too, you're in luck because Bayonetta 2 comes packaged with Bayonetta. I was really impressed with the characters and design displayed in the trailer and I feel like giving this game a shot. 

Everything from the story to the female lead and fight scenes intrigued me enough to want this game. I think it has strong potential to be one of the defining releases on the Wii U.

Bayonetta 2 releases for Wii U in October.

Splatoon is a refreshing new IP for Nintendo and I'm really excited about this one. 

You play as a human that can turn into a squid which provides a nice twist to a first-party shooter. Your squid/human character plays a four-on-four match against enemies that have different colored ink. The goal is to be the team with the most territory covered in your team's colored ink by the end of the round. 

It reminds me of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Graffiti Mode, which I loved as a kid. This is also a solution to parents who want a fun game they can play with their kids or even play with their own friends. Either way, this seems to be a great game for all ages and I can't wait to try it. 

Splatoon is coming to the Wii U in 2015.

Speaking of Zelda, Nintendo is releasing a new title called Hyrule Warriors. 

What is particularly exciting about this game is that you'll be able to play as a variety of characters from the entire Zelda franchise, even get the chance to play as Zelda herself. Characters that are confirmed include Zelda, Link, Midna, and Impa, although a full list of playable characters has yet to be announced. Players will fight through groups of enemies and battle tougher bosses in this Zelda and Dynasty Warrior collaboration. 

This game looks impressive if it lives up to the trailer and sneak peeks we've seen from Nintendo so far. Hyrule Warriors comes out September 26th exclusively for the Wii U. 

Everyone who's online has probably heard the announcement of the new Zelda coming to Wii U, but in case you haven't, THERE'S A NEW ZELDA COMING TO WII U! 

The Legend of Zelda for Wii U, from what we've seen so far is amazing and exciting. The open world concept and fantastic art displayed in the game-play trailer makes even the grass look real. 

The world being so vast takes away the directed path of past Zelda games and makes it more unique to what each player wants to do and where they want to go. This creates a good kind of break from what we've seen in that past with these games and I couldn't be more excited to see what the finished product looks like. 

Ocarina of Time was my favorite Zelda game, and it continues to be to this day, but I'm willing to say that this new title is looking to be a contender for one of my favorites. 

The new Zelda title is expected in 2015 for the Wii U.

Super Smash Bros. is another title from Nintendo that looks amazing. 

Like most Nintendo fans I've been playing Super Smash Bros. for years and it holds a place in my heart. However, this version of the game is a giant leap in the right direction. 

New characters such as Lady Palutena and Pac-Man are confirmed to join the arenas as well as your own Mii. This is the first time you can play as your Mii in a Smash Bros. game and I couldn't be more excited that Nintendo got all the logistics figured out for this feature. They stated in their presentation that they've been wanting to do this for a while now and are proud that they've been able to with the Wii U and 3DS versions. 

Also introduced alongside the game was the Amiibo feature, where you can collect special Nintendo figurines and if you choose to bring those characters in game an AI will help you win a fight or just give you extra support during battle. 

Super Smash Bros. comes out for 3DS on October 3rd, while the Wii U version will be out during the 2014 holiday season. 

This year, I think it's pretty safe to say that Nintendo blew most of the other presentations out of the water at E3. From Yoshi's Wooly World, Splatoon, Hyrule Warriors, and so much more, they granted most, if not all of Nintendo fans' wishes.

I was so impressed by the presentation it actually convinced me to get a Wii U, which is something I've been holding out for a while. Sure, there is Mario Kart 8 and the amazing reviews it's getting but other than that I wasn't excited about the Wii U and wasn't about to spend $300 to play one game. 

After E3, my mind changed completely and these are some of the games that pulled me into that direction. 

Yoshi's Wooly World

Yoshi's Wooly World is close to the top of my list because it's just so charming. The Yoshi characters throughout are lovable and the game-play is great for a simple, non-competitive game. I know that if I want to just game and relax this is one of my go-to games and to me that is a very important quality in a title. 

Most Yoshi games are not that difficult, no one's going to argue there, but after playing Yoshi's New Island I feel like this is a good continuation of a fun and visually pleasing Nintendo game. 

In Yoshi's Wooly World, you can even bring your friends into the game and play together solving puzzles and reach previously unavailable parts of the levels. 

Yoshi's Wooly World is coming to Wii U in 2015.