E3 2014: Bayonetta 2 Reminds Adults About the Wii U

In the midst of a phenomenal Nintendo Direct filled with characteristically bright and ebullient kid friendly games, Nintendo reminded everyone Bayonetta 2 is coming exclusively to the Wii U. In the short gameplay trailer we see Bayonetta showing off her new short haircut while attempting to battle her way out of hell. The video makes it clear we can expect more of the great boss battles, crazy enemies, and deep fighting mechanics Platinum Games has delivered in the past.

Also, for any gamers who missed the original Bayonetta on the PS3 or Xbox 360, Bayonetta 2 on the Wii U will come with the original game, and will include exclusive new costumes for the main heroine. Who would have thought you’d be able to battle angels and daemons while decked out as Zelda or Samus?

Bayonetta 2 still looks cool and crazy and... wait... ARE THOSE LINK AND SAMUS OUTFITS?! #4PNE3

— Shadow (@SykoShadow) June 10, 2014

While Nintendo often gets pigeonholed into being the ‘kids system’ with its flagship accessible and relatively tame IP, they are showing a commitment to offering content for mature gamers. In addition to having the exclusive rights to Bayonetta 2, it was quietly announced today that Devil’s Third, an upcoming 3rd person shooter set in a post technology Earth, is now also a Wii U exclusive. Hopefully Wii U’s commitment to offering games for players of all age groups and maturity levels will allow it to gain the traction it needs to garner more third party support outside of Japan.

While Ubisoft supplied one of the Wii U’s best mature games to date, ZombiU, president Yves Guillemot recently conceded in an interview that Ubisoft has shelved a finished Wii U game and is waiting for the system to have a higher adoption rate to warrant the marketing push needed to successfully launch the game. While it may be hard for Nintendo to compete head to head with the raw power offered by the Xbox One and PS4 combined with the fact that its architecture makes porting games to the Wii U non-trivial, Nintendo's first party games and growing list of quirky third party exclusives makes it an essential for any home with two gaming systems.