Did the Wii U just get it’s first Killer app?

Since the Wii U’s launched November last year there has been no big development for Nintendo’s new toy. As it seem most developers are avoiding the system as if it had a bad case of the flu. This is because of the systems failure to sell more than 3.45 million units as of march 31 2013. From the eyes of a developer this system is a risk, and a big one at that. 3.4 million Seems like a lot of units but when you count the population of our planet a whopping 7 billion with gamers making up more than an approximate 60% of that number, 3.4 million is a small number.

However the amount of systems in gamer’s hands is an excuse that should only be accepted by independent developers not the big dogs in the industry like EA and Epic as both have announced that the Wii U will not be getting the latest versions of their engines (frostbite 3 engine and Unreal engine 4). This is a shame as both developers seem to be bandwagonist from the looks of it, only supporting a system when it looks like it’s going to pass and backing out as soon as the going gets tough.
The sad thing is that I am a big fan of the games that Epic puts out, in fact it was because of Gears of war that I bought my first Xbox 360. It is a sad day when developers only look at the power of a system from the specs and not what is possible from their own ingenuity.

This is the case of the Wii and DS all over again. Both consoles were considered underpowered when compared with their competitors, yet both out sold its competitors because of the amazing games that were only possible because of the genius of Nintendo’s design. The Wii had Zelda a game that allowed gamers to swing a sword and be a total badass, but that was not the reason the system sold so much that title goes to Wii sports a boxed in title that came with almost every Wii. This assortment of mini games won the hearts of gamers and non-gamers alike and so the Wii soared to amazing heights. The Ds had even more success with titles like Pokémon selling systems like crack (also the reason I got my first DS). The main common thing about both of the system selling games I mentioned above is the fact that Nintendo published both titles.

It seems to me that developers wait till Nintendo does something cool with their own system before they themselves take the time and try to wow gamers with the tools that they have at their disposal. As it seems the Wii U may have to wait for the new Smashers Bros, Mario Kart and Zelda before Developers start taking it seriously, or maybe not. Maybe just maybe some developer will start messing around with the good old noggin and create a game that make us gamers melt from excitement.

One such developer seems to already exist; Precursor Games and the game in Question: Shadow of the Eternals. This Canadian based Studio consists of veteran game developers and the creators of the GameCube’s (another Nintendo console) critically acclaimed Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem.

The title looks to be a horror adventure game like its predecessor with some of the most gorgeous graphics I have ever seen on current generation with some of the textures and lighting effects rivaling that of a high-end PC to date. Shadow of the Eternal will also be developed for the PC as well and will be digitally distributed in an episodic style similar to that of telltale’s walking dead games. 

The Studio is currently seeking funding for their project via Crowdfunding. As of this article they have raised $136,298 with a goal of $1,500,000. I urge any Wii U owner or gamer with fine taste to show support to this developer by offering as little as $5. Link

thank you for reading.