With Zelda and other great games, Nintendo can turn the Wii U around – just like the PS3

Earlier this week, Nintendo did an impressive job revealing some important first-party games for the Wii U. Zelda and Smash Bros. are huge titles that will definitely sell systems, but what was most impressive was a number of mid-size announcements that really show off what the Wii U can actually achieve. If Nintendo can nail the execution of these games, the Wii U might actually turn around in 2015 — the Wii U could actually be in with a chance of standing alongside the Xbox One and PS4.

After the Wii hype train started to die down in the late 2000s, Nintendo began to struggle. The 3DS had to fight against the ever-growing market share of smartphones and tablets, and Wii U sales have been abysmal so far. Nintendo eventually got the 3DS back on the right track, but can it do the same thing with the Wii U? Can a number of hit first-party titles really turn the tables in Nintendo’s favor? After seeing Nintendo’s impressive showing at E3 2014, I think the answer to those questions is “Yes.”

There’s reason to believe that Nintendo is doing right by its biggest franchises. An adaptor was recently announced that allows Gamecube controllers to be used on the Wii U — specifically designed for diehard Smash Bros. fans. Everything Eiji Aonuma said about the upcoming Zelda game points to a sincere reimagining of Nintendo’s most beloved franchise with a heavy Skyrim influence. Besides, Super Mario 3D World and the recent Mario Kart 8release were both well-received across the board, so it’s clear Nintendo still has what it takes to maintain the games that matter the most to its fan base.

Until recently, Nintendo has largely ignored the Wii U gamepad’s touchscreen. Most of the time, the best you can hope for is off-TV gameplay or perhaps a touch-based inventory. Thankfully, it seems like Nintendo is finally taking advantage of this massive touchscreen in the center of the controller. Mario Maker uses the touchscreen to allow gamers to design their very own Super Mario Bros. levels. Sure, that could theoretically be done with a D-pad or analog stick, but it would be clunky and incredibly slow. Instead, you can tap and drag objects into place, and start playing your custom level with a push of a button.

Add that to the announcement of Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, and the touchscreen is finally starting to make sense. In spite of its business failures, Nintendo is starting to make good on the promises of the Wii U’s unique hardware. It doesn’t have the horsepower of the PS4 or Xbox One, but it does have a lot of untapped novelty.