Then there is the news about Project Cafe’s games. The rumor that Grand Theft Auto 5 may be a launch title for the new system is fairly shocking, but possibly indicative of what Nintendo wants to accomplish with the console – that being to re-take the hardcore gamers who have spent most of the current generation playing PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 instead of Wii.

But what about the legion of loyal Nintendo fans who just want new versions of classic Nintendo franchises to play on Wii 2? Not to worry. Rumors are flying that two such games are already in development, and may just be ready for the system’s launch: Pikmin and Star Fox.

This news comes courtesy Gameolosophy, who claim to have “reliable sources,” and a few more rumors to share. Check out the highlights below.

News of fresh entries in the Star Fox and Pikmin franchises are exciting developments for a number of reasons. We’ve been hearing stories of a new Pikmin title for years, and Shigeru Miyamoto himself has commented that development is “well under way.” Most recently, speculation has been that there would be a Pikmin title for the Nintendo 3DS. Perhaps there still will be, but given all the details on Project Cafe’s controller, I’d be awfully curious to see how the game would play on the new system.

Star Fox, on the other  hand, is confirmed to make an appearance on Nintendo’s new handheld as Star Fox 64 3D. Despite the lingering fondness many fans feel for Star Fox 64, the game is fourteen years old and yet remains the most recent Nintendo developed entry in the franchise. What could Nintendo first party do with a space combat game on hardware more powerful that the current consoles? I, for one, would love to find out.

As to the other rumors reported by Gameolosophy, let’s take them one at a time. The list of publishers who currently have development kits certainly looks promising (and believable). The only obvious candidate not named is probably THQ, though the list doesn’t claim to be definitive. That there won’t be loads of first party launch titles is disappointing, but not surprising after the same thing happened with the 3DS.

I hope Nintendo does have Wii 2’s storage issues taken care of, but I still want to know how it’s being handled – hard drive, solid state, USB, flash memory, etc. WiiWare obviously wouldn’t make sense for a console not called the Wii, besides which I don’t think the service has left a wholly positive impression on gamers.

This is clearly the year of 3DS for Nintendo, and it’s hard to believe that anyone takes a 2011 launch for Project Cafe very seriously. However, holding Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword until the next console launches doesn’t strike me as a particularly bright idea, especially given the dearth of Wii games so far this year. I’m always curious about what Kojima has a hand in, and Resident Evil seems to be everywhere lately, so to learn it’s on the way to Project Cafe isn’t too surprising.

As with everything Project Cafe/Wii 2 related, we’d like to remind you that for now this all remains in the realm of rumor – any of it or none of it may ultimately prove to be true. Still, much of it sounds credible enough, and E3 2011 is coming up fast. We’re likely to have our answers sooner than later.

What do you think of the latest Project Cafe rumors? Would you like to play new Star Fox and Pikmin games on the system? Which of the rumors do you believe, and which do you have your doubts about? Let us know in the comments below.

-

Follow me on Twitter @HakenGaken

Source: Gameolosophy